Enchanted to Meet You
by Angel Winter
Summary: Romeo, the guild's newest troublemaker, runs away from the Master in a frantic attempt to save his life from being squished under a giant foot. In his escape, he runs into Wendy Marvell- now, they're best friends. They form a team, take a job, and...?
1. Chapter One: The Beginning

PART ONE

"_Romeo Conbolt!" _

Romeo sucked in a breath and ducked father behind the counter. Mira looked down at him confusedly and he put a finger to his lips. "I'm not here," he whispered. She smiled a little, then looked back up as Makarov came barreling in from one of the guild's back doors.

"Hello, Master," she said cheerfully, running the cleaning rag around one of the glasses sitting on the countertop in front of her. "How was your day off?"

Romeo heard the master's tiny feet coming closer to his hiding place until he was standing directly in front of it. A few inches of wood- that was all that separated them. He bit his lip nervously. "It was fine," said the master, sounding frustrated. "At least it was until that darned kid came running through the square with the entire army right behind him! It took hours for me to convince the Council that he had nothing to do with all the stolen sweets from the local bakeries."

"Oh?" Mira's smile tightened and she glanced down at him. "Really, huh?"

He gave a tiny grin and shrugged his shoulders.

Makarov sighed. "And now he's disappeared on me! Haven't seen him, have you, Mira?"

Romeo gave her his best puppy dog eyes. He mouthed, _Please?_

"No, not today, Master," Mira said, putting on her sweetest, most innocent smile.

The master sighed again, said, "Thanks, Mirajane," and walked away. Romeo sat still a little while longer, then slowly stood up on his knees to peer over the edge of the counter. The master was nowhere to be seen.

He let out a relieved breath and smiled at Mira. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, well, promise me you'll stay out of trouble from now on, okay?" she said, but he'd already hopped over the countertop and started for the front door. "Hey! Romeo!" Mira called indignantly.

"Yeah?" he said without turning around.

"Behind you."

He stopped. He felt chills run down his spine. Slowly he turned his head and looked over his shoulder.

"Boo," said the master angrily.

For a minute, he just stood there. Then spun around on his heel and laughed nervously. "Oh…um, hey, Master Makarov, what's up?"

"My blood pressure."

"Oh, well, that's not good. Maybe you should go to a doctor…" He edged backwards a bit, then another step. "Maybe Polyushka?" Another step.

"Romeo, I-"

"Well, bye then!" And with that, he turned around and ran.

_"Romeo!" _yelled Makarov, and he began doubling in size.

"Oh, crap! Oh, crap!" Romeo hurled himself at the front doors. He slammed right into them. They were locked. "Oh, _crap_!" He could hear the master coming at him, taking his time. His footsteps shook the entire building. "Come on, open up!" he mumbled, beginning to panic. He grabbed the door handles and tugged, pulling as hard as he could, but the doors didn't budge.

Suddenly, they opened. They flung open, knocking Romeo over onto the floor with a loud crash. When he looked up, he heard a small voice saying, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't know you were there!"

_Wendy, _he realized. She was nervously twirling her blue hair around her finger as Carla hovered around her head saying, "Now look at what you did!"

"Romeo!" bellowed the master behind him.

He leapt up in an instant and took off out the door, subconsciously grabbing Wendy's hand as he flew past her yelling, "Come on, hurry up!"

Wendy squeaked, surprised as he pulled her after him and down the front steps. "Where…Where are we going?" she cried.

Romeo didn't answer. He only ran, dragging her along behind him as he tore through the city streets. Before he knew it, they had reached the outskirts of the city and the edge of the forest. Here he finally stopped and Wendy stumbled at his sudden stop, almost running into his back. They were both out of breath, and he leaned over, hands on his knees. "Well," he breathed. "That should do it."

"Do what?" she gasped.

"Keep me safe from Makarov, of course."

"Why were you running?

"Um…no reason." He straightened and turned to face her. Suddenly he realized he was still holding her hand. His face turned red and he quickly let her go.

Wendy frowned. "Why did you take me along, too?"

"Uh…I dunno. Spur of the moment decision, I guess," he told her.

"Well." And suddenly, she smiled. "That was actually kind of fun!"

His eyes widened a little. She was smiling at _him_. "I…I…"

"Wuaahhh!" A white blur shot out of nowhere and hit him in the back of the head. With a cry he tumbled to the ground with a crash. He felt tiny fists hitting him on the back of the head and a voice saying, "What were you thinking, idiot, trying to take Wendy along on your crazy schemes and whatnot? How dare you!"

"Huh?" He sat up a little and accidentally flung the small body from his back.

"Ugh! You dare manhandle me that way?" said a furious little voice.

"What?" He was confused. Romeo sat up and turned around…and burst into laughter. Carla was lying on the ground behind him, shaking her little paw at him angrily.

"What's so funny?" yelled Carla. "I'm not laughing, you maniac!"

"Oh, Lord!" gasped Romeo, holding his sides. And, somewhere in his laughter, he saw Wendy double over beside him, laughing just as hard.

"Car…la!" she giggled. "Oh, Carla!"

"What?" screamed Carla, but her voice was drowned out in their laughter.


	2. Chapter Two: E for Endearing

PART TWO

_Tap-tap-tap-tap._

Wendy paused, still holding up a dress she was considering laying out for the next day. She glanced towards the door of her room at the new and improved Fairy Hills. Did someone knock at the door?

_Tap-tap-tap-tap._

Yes. She sighed, pulling a bathrobe on and heading for the door wondering who was here so late at night. It was probably one of Magnolia's many inhabitants who was sick or something and wanted her to heal them. She got this a lot from people.

_Tap-tap-tap-tap._

"I'm coming," Wendy called.

Carla sat up on Wendy's bed as she reached for the doorknob. "If it's a customer," Carla said, "tell them to come back tomorrow. It's too late for this."

"If it isn't too serious," Wendy replied, and she opened the door. Her eyes widened, surprised at young, dark-haired boy standing in front of her, a piece of white paper clucthed in his hands. He smiled when he saw her.

"Wendy!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Romeo?" Suddenly, she felt very conscious that she was in her robe. Her face reddening, she pulled the strings tighter, making them more secure, and stuttered, "W-What are you doing here so late?"

"Who is it?" Carla asked, trying to peer over Wendy's shoulder without getting up. "Who is it?" she repeated when she didn't answer.

Romeo's smile widened and he held up the piece of paper proudly, waving it in Wendy's face. "I found us a job!"

She brightened. "Really? What's it about?"

"Well, can I come in first?"

"Oh. Of course." She stepped aside and he stepped in, sitting down in one of the two chairs in front of the small fireplace that occupied the right half of the apartment. Upon seeing him, Carla's jaw dropped.

"You!" she hissed.

"Carla," whined Wendy, taking the seat opposite of Romeo.

Carla turned her stern gaze on Wendy. "It's too late for anyone to be over here, let alone _him_."

"I love you, too," Romeo said sarcastically. Carla's glare grew even more intense, if that was possible.

"Does the front desk even know you're here?" Carla demanded.

"Of course," interrupted Wendy.

"Um...," said Romeo, glancing down at the paper in his hands.

"What?" said Wendy and Carla in unison.

"I found a job?" he offered sheepishly.

Wendy sighed and held out her hand expectantly. Carla sputtered something about Wendy being too young and how they should report him but Wendy and Romeo both ignored her. Eventually, she shut up and Romeo handed Wendy the job description.

"'Help Wanted,'" Wendy read aloud. "'There is an enchanted bracelet hidden somewhere atop Mount Hakobe, and it is guarded by many different types of monsters. Was a priceless family heirloom that was lost and must be returned. If completed, I will pay...'" Wendy's eyes bulged. _"2 million jewels?"_

Romeo grinned at her reaction. "I know, right?" he said excitedly, bouncing up and down slightly on the seat cushion. "It sounds so easy, and if we finish it, we'll get so rich!"

"Easy?" Wendy looked up. "It said that the bracelet's surrounded by monsters."

"I know. I'll take care of the monsters, you take care of finding the bracelet."

Wendy frowned and said, "I don't feel comfortable letting you take on all those monsters by yourself..." Her voice was filled with concern, even though they hadn't even taken on the job.

"Don't worry," Romeo assured her, leaning back in the chair. "I can handle it."

"I doubt it," Carla sniffed.

Romeo shot her a look but she pretended to inspect her freshly painted claws. Wendy suppressed a small giggle. They were always bickering back and forth like this, ever since the day Romeo had taken off with her outside the guild. It was equally annoying and amusing. No, not amusing. It was endearing, really.

Romeo suddenly seemed to notice her staring at him. He turned back to her and her eyes quickly fell to her lap embarrassedly before coming up again and meeting his. He smiled. "So?" he asked, his eyes wide and hopeful. "What do you say?"

"She says no, of course," Carla said just as Wendy sighed, "I'll do it." Carla's head snapped around to look at her incredulously, but Wendy was only watching the excited grin on Romeo's face.

"Yes!" he cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "I'll go to Mirajane about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good night, then." Romeo rose from the chair, still smiling, and headed for the door.

"Good night, Romeo." Wendy hesitated before asking her next question. "Um, Romeo?"

Romeo stopped halfway to the door and turned around to face her. "Yeah?"

"If the front desk doesn't know you're here, how do you plan to get out?"

His eyes widened. "Oh...um...well, you see...," he stuttered, searching frantically for an answer.

When she realized he had no idea, Wendy frowned and stood up. "You need to think these things through more carefully," she scolded, unlatching her second-story window and holding it open for Romeo to jump out of.

Romeo flashed her another grin as he crouched down, balancing on the edge of the windowsill. "It wouldn't be as fun then," he said, his eyes bright, and he leaped from the window, landing miraculously on his feet.

Wendy watched him running through tbe bushes until the night seemed to swallow him. Then she latched the window back shut and turned to look at Carla, who had stood up on the bed with her paws on her hips.

"That boy is incredibly irresponsible and a bad influence," Carla said, her voice thick with disapproval. "You shouldn't be around him so much."

Wendy smiled, heading back towards her closet. She felt like she could be glowing with happiness and excitement. "Oh, Carla," she said softly, almost to herself. "It wouldn't be as fun, then."

Romeo came running into the guild the next morning, talking through the details of the job with Mirajane and the Master, grinning like a little kid. When he'd finally convinced them they could do this job, he'd jumped up in the air and taken off out the front doors to go tell Wendy. Lucy, from her seat at the bar, smiled a little. "Romeo's got a job, Natsu," she said, turning to her pink-haired friend who was currently playing some type of cards game with Happy and Gray.

"Eh?" Natsu said asbently, then he grinned and slapped down a card. "Oh, yeah!"

Gray growled a little and threw his cards down on the table. "Good God, Natsu, where did you learn how to play cards?" he demanded angrily.

"Igneel was a great poker player," Natsu said with a smirk.

Lucy frowned. "Didn't you hear me?" she said a little louder, a little more irritated. "Romeo's got a job now."

"Good for him," Natsu said.

"Aye!" Happy said, who had abandoned his few cards for a fish.

Mira came up behind them suddenly, a wide smile plastered on her face. That smile gave Lucy the chills- it was the same smile she'd given her when she'd said Natsu had a crush on her. The smile always seemed to remind her- and the whole guild- of her inner demon that it concealed. "_He _doesn't just have a job," she said with a giddy look in her eyes. "He's taking on a job with Wendy!"

Lucy's novelist-slash-romantic side appeared. "Aww," she gushed, a faraway, sparkly look in her eyes. "How cute!"

"I know, right?" Mira squealed, clapping her hands together.

"When did he start taking jobs with Wendy?" Gray asked.

"And what's all the 'aww's' and stuff about?" Natsu added, looking confused.

Lucy sighed and Mira rolled her eyes. "They've been inseparable lately," Mirajane said, directing the response at Gray. "Haven't you noticed?"

"No, he hasn't," Happy mumbled around a mouth full of fish. "He's been too busy watching Juvia watching him!"

"W-What?" Gray yelled, a blush appearing on his face as he turned angrily on the blue Exceed. "Why you little..."

"Ahh! Natsu!" Happy dove into Natsu's lap. "Gray is scary and mean."

"What's all the 'aww's' about?" repeated Natsu, ignoring Happy.

Lucy sighed again. "Ever heard about 'young love'?"

Natsu's brows furrowed, indicating he was either thinking hard or confused. "No."

"Then you'll never understand."

"They lllllike each other," Happy told Natsu.


	3. Chapter Three: N for Nathaniel

**Hello there! This is the first time I've done this, so sorry for not saying anything earlier. But I guess you're here for the story and not to hear me talk. I just wanted to say thanks for reading and all your nice reviews! They mean a lot to me! And this is all about to get a lot more interesting, so please don't stop reading! :D**

* * *

PART THREE

"How much farther?"

Romeo heard Wendy sigh, but he couldn't blame her- this had to be at least the seventh time he'd asked. But, then again, she couldn't blame him, either. They'd been walking down a seemingly endless dirt road in the middle of freaking field-filled nowhere for an hour and a half now, trying to find their client's home.

"I don't know, Romeo," Wendy replied in a surprisingly calm voice. For not the first time the dark-haired mage was amazed at the dragon slayer's patience. If it had been anyone else (Natsu, Lucy, Gray, _Erza…._) they probably would have knocked him unconscious by now. "It's probably not much farther, though."

"Good," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm getting tired of walking. And fields," he added, glaring out at the tall grass on either side of him.

"You'll get over it," Carla said from where she was hovering just over their heads.

Romeo shot her a look. "Why do you get to fly," he demanded irritably, "when we have to walk?"

"Because I'm the only one with wings," she replied, never once looking down at him. "But…" And she ducked down, grabbed the back of Wendy's dress, and flew up into the air with her. Wendy let out a surprised squeal, kicking her legs a little.

"Carla!" she said, surprised.

"Hey!" Romeo leaped up, grabbing one of Wendy's ankles. "Put her down before you drop her, you freaky feline!"

Carla glowered. "Brat! I've carried Wendy lots of times and I've never dropped her once!"

"Carla, put me down!" Wendy demanded. "Romeo, let go of my leg."

Reluctantly, still glaring at each other, the two complied. Wendy straightened her dress once on the ground and gave them both stern looks. "If you two keep fighting, we'll never make it to the client's house," she said in a voice that sounded like a mother scolding her children. Romeo ducked his head, a little embarrassed, and put his hands back in his pockets.

"Well, it seems we're never gonna get there anyway," he grumbled, mostly to himself. He started walking again, Wendy following right beside him and Carla still flying around them. They continued on for a while in silence, only breaking said silence when he asked Wendy again and again how much farther they had to go. Wendy always replied, always sounded kind and not frustrated at all. He envied that kind of patience.

"Who is this guy anyway?" Carla finally asked.

Wendy paused, then looked at Romeo. "Was there a name on the request?" she inquired, brows furrowed as she tried to recall the job's description.

Romeo shook his head. "Nope. Just an address."

"That's strange," Carla said suspiciously. "They usually always put the name of the client on the request."

"Maybe there was a misprint?" Wendy suggested.

"That would explain the phooey address," Romeo said.

"Romeo, the house is here somewhere," she told him gently. "Be patient."

Carla snorted. "Yeah," she muttered. "Like that's going to happen."

There was another long silence. Romeo counted the minutes, growing more and more agitated as it time climbed to two hours, then to two and a half hours….but Wendy, although looking a little worn out from all the walking, seemed just fine.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked at some point.

Wendy stopped walking, startled by the question. "E-Excuse me?"

"How are you still so calm?" he demanded. "We've been walking for three hours!"

"Well…" She blinked. "Well, there's _that_." She pointed to something behind him. Romeo spun around and cheered loudly. There, sitting in the center of the field to their left, was a small cottage. Wispy tendrils of smoke drifted from a little chimney, seeming to wave at them before disappearing into the blue sky.

"I smelled smoke a while back, so I knew we would find the house eventually…," Wendy began to explain.

_"Yes! Civilization!" _Romeo shouted, interrupting her, and broke into a run towards the house. Wendy called out to him, but, realizing he wasn't listening, just tightened her grip on her small bag and took off through the grass after him, Carla yelling at him for leaving them behind the whole way. When they finally caught up to him, he was standing on the doorstep of the cottage. Carla started grumbling about immaturity, which Romeo ignored. Wendy tried to hide her grin from Carla- there was no need for her fancy friend to know how much she enjoyed this "immaturity." It was actually fun, to stop being so polite and sweet for a minute and just _run _like crazy, _be _crazy.

Romeo, though, saw her grin and smiled wide at her. "That was fun!" he said, breathless from running so fast.

"It was foolish," Carla corrected.

Romeo, still smiling, turned and knocked on the door. As soon as his fist hit the wood, the door was flung wide open, startling the two young mages so much that they both screamed. Then, Romeo said in a slightly scared voice, "There's no one there."

Wendy frowned, her heart still racing. "What?"

Romeo peered closely through the open door. It was pitch black inside and, as far as he could see, uninhabited. There seemed to be dust on everything within his visual range, and not just a little dust, but a _lot _of it. He sneezed and said, "I don't think anyone's in there."

"Someone just opened the door," Wendy pointed out.

"The wind, maybe?" Romeo countered. Then, before she could tell him that there was no breeze, he stepped inside the dark hall.

Wendy squeaked a little and reached in, grabbing his wrist. "What are you doing?" she whispered nervously. "No one invited us in."

"That's because there's no one here." Twisting his hand so he could grab hers back, he said, "Come on, I'll prove it to you," and pulled her inside. She squeaked again and Carla instantly flew in after them.

"Don't just pull her around like that," Carla hissed.

"Romeo, is it too late to mention I'm afraid of the dark?" Wendy whispered meekly.

The door suddenly slammed shut behind them, plunging them into complete darkness. Wendy shrieked until Romeo clamped his hand over her mouth. "I think it is now," he said softly, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. He'd never been fond of scary stories.

"Now look at what you did," Carla said furiously, appearing right next to his ear and making them both jump.

"Shh!" Romeo hissed back.

"Why? There's no one here."

"Oh, so the door just opens and shuts on its own, then?" he snapped in a whisper.

"Maybe it was the wind," Carla reminded him. If he could've seen her, he would've been glaring.

Wendy's hand suddenly found his own in the dark. He tensed as her fingers wrapped around his tightly, her hand shaking. "I'm scared," she said shakily.

Romeo knew he was blushing and was glad she couldn't see his face. "Don't worry," he said. "It probably _was _the wind. Let's just find the door."

"Okay," was her soft, frightened reply.

Carefully, still holding hands, the two moved through the darkness, feeling around them to make sure they didn't bump into anything. Soon, Romeo's hand touched the wood of the door. He fumbled around till he held the doorknob. He breathed out in relief. "See, Wendy?" he said soothingly, noticing she was still trembling. "I've got the door know- we're…." _Tug-snap!. _"…fine?" He squinted in the darkness down at the metal he held. His eyes widened when he realized what it was. "Ho-ly crap," he whispered.

"W-What?" Wendy stuttered. "W-What is it? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing!" he said quickly.

"Then hurry up!" Carla snapped. "Wendy's about to have a heart attack."

"Ahh…" Romeo bit his lip, frantically trying to figure out what to do. Would the door still open without the doorknob? He pressed his free hand against the wood and shoved hard, but only succeeded in pushing himself back a step and stepping on Wendy's foot.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

"Open the door already!"

Romeo took a deep breath and turned around, just barely making out Wendy's pale, scared face in the darkness. He tried to make his voice as calm as hers had been earlier on the road. "Okay. Now, listen to me, Wendy- don't freak out. All right?"

"What? Why?"

"The doorknob broke."

_"What?"_ Her eyes widened to an unreal point and it looked like she might faint for a second. "We're trapped here?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No," he said. "I wanna try something, but…you and Carla are gonna have to back up. A lot."

"What are you thinking of?" Carla asked, but he only shooed them back down the hall a few feet, wondering how long this hall really was. Then he faced the door.

_Here goes nothin'. _

And Romeo ran at the door. He slammed hard against the wood and, momentarily, the door's hinges screeched as if they might give and free them. But then it stopped and Romeo was left only with a ringing sound in his ears and stars dancing in front of his eyes. He fell backwards onto the floor, feeling dizzy.

"R-Romeo?" Wendy called after a minute. "Are you o-okay?"

"Unnhh….kind of…"

Carla sniffed. "Idiot."

Romeo blinked a few times until the stars cleared and the ringing stopped. Then he stood up and looked back to where he'd left Wendy and Carla. He could just barely see their outlines in the shadows of the cottage. He made his way slowly back to them, saying as he went, "Okay, that didn't work. But I've got another plan."

"Will it involve running into walls this time?" sneered Carla, who had stopped flying and was now standing by Wendy's feet, a very much appreciated white dot in the darkness, even though Romeo would never admit it.

"No," he said, trying to shove aside his wounded pride. "It's a bit more…thought out."

"I want to get out of here," Wendy whimpered.

"I'll get you out," Romeo promised. "But, unless the cat has any better ideas, I think we should try my plan."

Carla bristled but grudgingly said, "What are you thinking of now?"

He smiled victoriously. "We'll just have to find a back door or a window."

They didn't say anything. Then Carla said, "That was your thought-out plan?"

"Better than nothing," he replied with a shrug.

"R-Romeo," Wendy said softly. "C-Can I h-hold your hand? I'm scared."

Romeo felt his face burn with a strange mixture of embarrassment and pleasure for the second time in this strange little house. Somehow, he mused, this was turning out pretty good for him. "Sure," he answered, trying not to stutter nervously, and he held out his hand. She took it gratefully, and a brief, hard-to-see smile danced across her lips before falling back into that frightened frown.

Carla flew up by his ear. "I'm watching you, Conbolt," she hissed in his ear. Then she landed back on the floor and reached up, taking the hem of Wendy's dress protectively in her paw.

Romeo led them along the hallway, one hand dragging along the wall until it fell through an opening, indicating a doorway. He pulled them inside and Carla wandered over in one direction and Romeo and Wendy, who was too afraid to let go of Romeo's hand, went in the other, searching for a window or something. Frequently, they ran into a large table in the center of the room, and Wendy said softly, "This is a kitchen. There's a little stove over there beside Carla."

"Good. Maybe this is where the chimney was. At the very least, there must be a window in the kitchen," Romeo told her, and she nodded. They stumbled around blindly, feeling around the walls. Suddenly, Romeo's hand brushed something cold and glass. A window. He didn't even stop to wonder why no light was coming through from outside; he just wanted to get _out _of this creepy place. "I found a window," he said loud enough for Carla to hear, and, drawing back his arm, he let his fist fly at the glass. Wendy leaped back as glass went flying, and Romeo punched another hole through the glass until there were just a few jagged pieces sticking out of the wooden frame. He pulled back his hand, which stung like heck (he'd probably cut it on all the glass), and said, "Wendy, come on. You can go first."

Romeo helped her up onto the windowsill and she jumped out, landing in a small, overgrown garden in the backyard of the cottage. Then he stood back as Carla flew out after her. Finally he leaped out, landing on his feet just a little in front of Wendy. He looked around him, startled to realize it was already dark outside. "How long were we in there?" he mumbled, looking up at the moon.

"It seemed like it was only a few minutes," Wendy said quietly, coming up beside him. "Magic, maybe?"

"Probably."

Suddenly, Wendy grabbed his wrist. "Romeo, your hand!" she cried. He looked down and saw blood running down his hand from several small cuts on his knuckles from punching in the window. He grimaced and pulled his hand back, shrugging.

"I'll be fine in a bit," he said but she insisted they bandage it, fearing it might get infected. He caved, and she let her bag fall from her shoulder and rummaged through, pulling out some bandages and began wrapping his hand up. He smiled a little, watching her nurse him for such a small wound. _Sometimes, _he thought, _she may be a bit too kind for her own good._

When she finished, she packed the remaining bandages back up and stood. With a sigh, she asked, "So, what now? Do we just go back to the guild?"

"Of course," Carla said, and Wendy looked down to see Carla standing beside her with her little arms crossed. Wendy knew that look, that posture- it meant what she says goes, and that there was no room for arguments.

"Yeah," Romeo said, looking back up at the dark sky. "It's already so late and it seems this was all just some scam to catch kids or something else creepy like that…"

"Hey! You kids! What do you think you're doing on my property?"

Wendy screamed and Romeo leaped about twenty feet into the air. They whirled around to see an elderly man hurrying around the side of the cottage towards them, shaking one fist at them angrily, the other holding a bunch of grocery bags. Romeo stared, confused, until the man was right up on them. Instinctively, he stepped a little in front of Wendy. Just in case.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The old man, with graying hair that came down to his shoulders and was missing a few teeth, said incredulously, "Who am _I_? Who are _you_, kid, and what are you doing by my house and…" The man's gaze traveled up and saw the broken window. He gawked for a minute before yelling, "Why in the world did you break my window? Good Lord, kids these days and the vandalism and gangs that come with them…"

"Excuse me, sir," Wendy said softly, shyly, peeking at the old man over Romeo's shoulder. "Do…Do you know anything about a job request to find a magic bracelet?"

The man stopped ranting instantly. His gaze snapped back to them, looking them up and down. A look of awe spread across his wrinkled features when he saw the Fairy Tail guild mark on Romeo's shoulder. "You're not…wizards, are you?"

Romeo grimaced- he got this a lot from adults. "Just because we're kids doesn't mean we can't be mages, too," he muttered grouchily, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yes," Wendy replied, smiling. "I'm Wendy, and these two are Romeo and Carla." She pointed to each of them before continuing, "We're from Fairy Tail."

Suddenly, the old man's face split in a grin. "I didn't really think anyone would come," he said, then shouted up at the sky, "Thank the Lord, hallelujah!" He dropped his grocery bags and, like the kind girl she was, Wendy hurriedly picked them back up for him. He took them from her, still smiling, and said, "Thank you, um…Wendy, was it?"

Wendy nodded. "Yes. And, sir, may we ask who you are? Your name wasn't in the request form…"

"Oh, of course." He set the bags down and held out his hands for Romeo and Wendy to shake. "I'm Nathaniel. It's nice to meet you two."


	4. Chapter Four: C for Carriage Mishaps

PART FOUR

The carriage jolted violently, sending Romeo and Wendy sprawling across the floor.

_For the fifth time._

Right now, Romeo thought he was doing very good not to just jump out of the carriage, slap the driver silly with his flames, and walk the rest of the way to where the bracelet was last seen. Wendy, who, upon sensing his held-back anger, had moved quite a bit away from him on the bench, offered him a small smile as she straightened herself back up. "At least you won't throw up on me whenever we step foot on something that moves," she joked.

"Hmm." Romeo glared out the window, which he had accidentally put a hole through the first time they'd been thrown around. His head still hurt from where it'd smashed the fragile glass, and he thought, _Two windows in one day- this must be a new record. _

At the thought of Nathaniel's window, his thoughts immediately turned to the old man. Their conversation about the mission had been brief but informative- well, kind of.

The man had invited them into the house, an offer all three of them rejected. They ended up sitting on the front porch instead, Nathaniel and Wendy in the two wicker rocking chairs, Carla in Wendy's lap, and Romeo balancing precariously on the rotting wood that made up the porch's railing. Romeo had instantly blurted, "What the heck is up with your house, man?" and earned himself a stern look from Wendy.

"Romeo, that's rude," she had said, but had turned just as curiously when the man had started to answer.

"This old thing?" he'd said, patting the wall behind him. "Just real protective, honestly. My wife- she used to sit in that chair you're sitting in, girlie, and died in it, too-(Here Wendy noticeably paled) was a mage, too. She cast a spell on this house, making it to where it's almost alive. Anyone who comes in uninvited, it instantly locks 'em up until someone lets 'em out from the outside- although," he said, looking a little angrily at Romeo, "it seems you found yourselves another solution."

"I'm afraid that's my fault, sir," Wendy had apologized. "I'm terrified of the dark and was having a bit of a panic attack, so Romeo broke the window so I could get out. I'm very sorry about that."

Romeo had frowned. "Um, well…I was kinda freakin' out myself," he admitted grudgingly, not feeling comfortable with letting Wendy take the blame like that.

The man just shook his head. "Young people," he muttered. "I'll never understand 'em." Then he continued on, "So I figure you want to know more about the bracelet?"

"Yes, please," Wendy said, and it was around here that Romeo figured that he wouldn't be required to answer because he was obviously not the favorite of this man.

Nathaniel sighed and leaned back in his chair, a suddenly weary expression on his face. "That bracelet," he muttered. "That dang bracelet…has a heck of a lot of power."

"What kind of power?"

He chuckled softly. "Depends on who's got it. This bracelet has a messy history." He paused, and the two mages waited patiently, their interest having been caught. Finally, the old man continued, "This bracelet has been in my family for generations, passed down from eldest son to eldest son, carrying on the gift of magic in my family for as long as I could remember. But one day someone broke into this house and stole it right out from under my nose, me being the last to have owned the thing. That's when we put the protection spell on the house. I've been wanting to go find it for a long time now, but I'm too old to go chasing it down. So, I sent out that request, and, well, here ya are." He grinned a little.

Wendy smiled back, then regained her "serious business" expression that she used to make people believe she was more mature or older than she really was. "Sir," she said again, "what kind of magic does this bracelet have?"

Nathaniel's eyes darkened considerably, and, for a moment, Romeo actually felt afraid of him. He sensed something dangerous, lethal even, under his frail surface. But then it passed he felt stupid fro feeling afraid of the old guy. Then, after what he said next, he almost fell off the rail.

"That bracelet," Nathaniel said softly, "has the power of life."

The carriage hit another bump and Romeo flew out of his seat and slammed into the wall across from him. He laid there for a second, anger boiling to a dangerous point, and he shot a look at Wendy when, even from her position on the floor where she'd fallen, she burst out laughing. "Sorry," she said when she caught her breath, "but the look on your face was priceless."

"Hmph."

"Now you sound like Gajeel."

He gave her another look and her face cracked in a grin. "And now you look like him, too."

Carla was smiling, too, from where she hovered around their heads. "You look brilliant," she said.

Romeo crossed his arms grumpily, then poked his head out the shattered window and yelled, "Hey, genius, where'd you learn how to drive?"

"I'm learning now," the driver called back.

Romeo's face paled and he sat back down. "This thing's a death trap," he muttered.

"And now you sound like Natsu."

"Stop comparing me to people!"

Wendy laughed again, then held out her hand, indicating she wanted him to help her up. He obliged and she sat down beside him on the bench, looking excitedly out the window behind them. "I've only been up here a few times," she said, "but never when it wasn't snowing."

And suddenly that realization hit him. _It wasn't snowing._ "What?" he said, whirling to look back out the window, his eyes widening at the surprising amount of greenery he saw. "But…But…_it's always snowing up here!_" he said incredulously. "Especially considering how high up we've gone."

"I was surprised, too," the driver called back to them, and they jumped, not having realized the young man was listening to them. "The locals here said that a few weeks ago, the snow just stopped and all the trees and grass grew. They said it was like magic!"

Carla said softly from above them, "The bracelet?"

Wendy's eyes widened. "Really? You think so?"

"Probably," the white Exceed responded. "There's no other reason for _life _to suddenly spring up around here."

Romeo shook his head and sat back down, still worried they'd hit another bump and he'd fly out the window. "I still can't believe a _bracelet_, of all things, can hold the magic of life."

"Well, think about this," Wendy said, settling back down beside him. "Did you really think keys could summon magical people from the spirit world, either?"

Romeo shrugged. "Eh. Lucy proved it."

Carla nodded towards the window. "If that's not proof, I don't know what is."

Suddenly, the carriage jolted again. Wendy tumbled over onto the floor and Romeo yelled, surprised, as he fell down right after her. Or, he should've said, right on top of her. He caught himself just a second before their noses touched and, when his dark eyes met her brown ones, the world seemed to freeze, if only for a second. A blush crept across their cheeks, both their eyes widened, and Wendy's mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something but couldn't think of anything to say. One word entered Romeo's mind, and his blush instantly deepened:

_Beautiful._

Carla screamed, _"Hey!"_ and the world snapped back into action. With a slight gasp, Romeo leaped back and Wendy jerked upright. Their faces were both bright red.

"S-Sorry!" Romeo stammered, his heart pounding in his chest. _What the heck was that? _he thought.

"I-It's all r-right," Wendy mumbled, turning her gaze down to her hands.

Carla glared furiously at Romeo. "You little…," she snarled, raising her paws like she was going to claw him.

"Carla. Stop it," Wendy said with a startling amount of force. "It was an accident, so leave Romeo alone."

Carla stared at her blue-haired friend for a minute before crossing her arms angrily and dropping down to sit in Wendy's lap. She looked pointedly at Romeo, and then she hissed, "I'm watching you."

"Good to know," he answered automatically.

And then, the tension broken, Wendy and Romeo both burst into laughter.


	5. Chapter Five: H for Hot Boys

"There it is! There's…whatever-its-name-was!"

Wendy sighed as she watched her dark-haired friend turn and smile at her. She decided not to tell him the town's name- he'd figure it out eventually. So, ignoring the strange, fluttery feeling she felt when he grinned at her, she looked towards the town lit up in what was left of the fading daylight. It was a small town, nestled in between rolling green hills and consisting mostly of cottages that looked built more for blocking out the snow than keeping out the heat of the summer-like weather they were experiencing. Smoke rose from the chimneys of almost every house and, even from the outskirts of the town, Wendy could see soft glow filtering through cracks in the window shutters of the cottages, indicating candles and fireplaces had been lit to prepare for the darkness of nighttime. Wendy couldn't help but smile. The entire town conveyed the feeling of peace and quiet- a homey environment.

But then she realized something- those glowing candles were lit because it was growing _dark_. The dark, of which she was afraid. She turned to Romeo and said in what she hoped was an even tone, "Where are we going to be staying?" She tried not to feel a little panicked when he shrugged.

"I don't know. An inn?" he suggested.

Carla looked up at them from where she stood by Wendy's feet. "This town doesn't look big enough to have built an inn," she remarked. "I can't imagine it getting many travelers, being this high up the mountain and being usually coated in snow."

"Will we have to camp?" Wendy asked. This time, her worry was evident.

Romeo shook his head, suddenly feeling very stupid for not having thought this part through some more. He just really hadn't anticipated camping being an issue. "Don't worry, Wendy," he said. "There'll probably be one of those lonely, cat-loving old ladies who are desperate for company here, like in any other town."

"We shouldn't rely entirely on that," Carla pointed out, but Romeo had already turned and started towards the town, hands tucked casually behind his head. The white Exceed sighed and shook her head. "When will he listen?" she mumbled. Then Wendy scooped her up in her arms, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hurried to catch up with Romeo.

"What are we going to do?" she asked once she caught up with him.

"I guess we'll just knock on the people's doors and ask if we can stay," he said.

Wendy frowned. "That seems kind of rude."

"Or we could stay outside?"

Wendy's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything. Soon they came to the front steps of the first cottage. Romeo knocked on the door. "Hello? We have something we wanted to~" The door flung open, startling him. But that wasn't what made him run away- what made him run was the fact that a very big man brandishing many pots and pans began trying to knock him upside the head with the cooking tools. Wendy shrieked when she saw the man and took off right after Romeo, narrowly avoiding getting hit with a frying pan.

"Crazy kids! Get away from my house!" the man screamed after them, tossing a pot at Romeo's retreating back.

That was how most of their knock-on-stranger's-doors-and-ask-to-stay-at-their-house strategy went- being chased away while being assaulted with a many number of objects, once including a knife. Quickly, Romeo realized two things:

these people didn't like them for whatever reason.

And 2- if they kept knocking on doors, they were probably gonna get killed.

"Okay," Romeo said, breathless after their recent escape. "This is the last house. If these people chase us away, we're sleeping outside."

"Okay," Wendy agreed, suddenly finding that the dark seemed like the better option. "Last house."

Romeo nodded, said, "Stay here, just in case," and started towards the door. He walked cautiously, uncertainly, and he had every right to. He was the one who nearly got stabbed by a crazy woman in bunny slippers. When he found himself on the porch, he hesitated, then knocked.

The door opened. Romeo instantly flinched, waiting for a bowl to hit him in the head. But when nothing hit him, he relaxed a little and looked at who'd answered the door. It was tiny, gray-haired, elderly woman. She was wrapped up in a fuzzy purple robe, her gray hair pulled back in a tight bun. Laugh lines creased her leathery face. Her brown eyes twinkled amusedly at him. "Scared of me, eh? Scared of a little old woman?" she said in a crackly, grandmotherly voice.

Romeo, still waiting for him to throw something at him, said, "Should I be?"

She looked at him for a minute, then understanding seemed to dawn on her. "You met the locals." She said it as a statement, not a question.

Romeo shrugged. "We shared a few words," he said.

The woman smiled kindly at him and said, "Well, don't worry, son, I don't plan on beating you with my furniture anytime soon."

Romeo smiled back, feeling more at ease. "Thank you very much."

The woman looked over his shoulder, and her smile widened. "Ah, why don't you get the pretty girl over there and her cat and come inside for some tea?" she offered, waving a little to Wendy.

Romeo glanced back, and, seeing Wendy smiling, nodded. She seemed to have a better judgment of character than he did, and if she was smiling, this woman must be okay. "All right."

Romeo sat on the couch in the old woman's home, Wendy on the other side and Carla sitting between them like an overprotective mother. They'd been sitting here for a while, and now they were waiting while the woman made bedding arrangements. Somehow, over the course of an hour, they learned that the woman's name was Mayu, she had a grandson named Aiko but "he is sleeping now, so let's not bother him." And, somewhere in all this, Mayu learned that they were mages.

"Wizards?" she'd exclaimed. "But you're both so young!"

Romeo had scowled, but Wendy, always polite, had said, "We usually learn young, ma'am. This is our first big job as a team."

And then, somewhere in explaining that, they were told they could stay here while they worked at their job. Then Mayu had scurried off to find blankets to set up on the couch for Romeo and to wake her grandson. She had decided Wendy must have a bed and, since she was too old to sleep on the floor, she figured her grandson would be okay in the living room with Romeo. Romeo, however, was not excited for that. He'd come to finish a job with Wendy and Carla, not make friends with their hostess's grandson. But he resolved to thinking it was better than Wendy ending up on the floor.

Mayu came in, blankets stacked high in her arms. Romeo stood and took some from her, setting them down on the floor. "Thank you very much," he said when they'd finished.

"This is very kind of you," Wendy added, standing and smiling at the old woman. "How can we repay you?"

But Mayu shook her head, her bun flopping from side to side. "Nonsense!" she said. "You don't need to repay me. Now, sweetheart, come with me and I'll take you upstairs."

Wendy smiled at Romeo as she walked past, and he smiled back. He just hoped that this grandson of Mayu's wasn't as annoying as he'd imagined.

Wendy followed Mayu down a hallway and up a flight of stairs that led to what she called the loft. Wendy gaped a little when she saw the enormous size of the room. It was the size of two bedrooms put together- if she reached stood in the center of the room and stretched out her arms, she would look pathetically small, her fingertips not even coming close to either wall. But her mouth fell open a little more when she saw the disheveled, sleepy boy in baggy pajamas walking towards her.

He was tall, at least a foot taller than Wendy, and seemed to be maybe just a year or two older than her. He was pale, and his midnight black hair contrasted deeply with his skin, but he pulled it off. He didn't look sickly with that look- he looked kind of (and she blushed crimson when she thought this) _hot_. His dark blue eyes met hers for a second as he yawned, sleepily making his way towards the stairs. "Hey, Gran," he greeted tiredly, nodding at his grandmother. Then he looked back at Wendy and she blushed again, ducking her head so her hair hid her face. "And will this be the pretty girl who's borrowing my bed?"

Her eyes widened. He'd called her pretty?

Mayu smiled at the boy- Aiko, was that his name? "Isn't she cute?" Mayu gushed, fingering Wendy's deep blue hair.

Aiko didn't respond, but he smiled. "What's your name?" he asked, his hand resting on the handrail of the stairs.

Wendy raised her head to look at him just long enough to stammer, "M-My name is Wendy. It's nice to meet you…"

Aiko smiled again. "I'm Aiko. See you tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight, Gran. Goodnight, Wendy."

"Goodnight," Mayu called as he descended the stairs. Then she led Wendy over to the messy bed before blowing out the candles and leaving to her own room. As darkness fell over the room, Wendy leaped into the bed and curled up tightly in the covers. Drowsiness instantly took a hold of her, but before she drifted off to sleep, she thought, _I just thought a boy was hot. _


	6. Chapter Six: A for A Sky Goddess

PART SIX

When Wendy came downstairs the next morning, Romeo's mouth fell open a little bit. Usually, she didn't seem to care how she looked as long as she wasn't flat-out hideous. But today, Wendy came down in a blue tank top and a black skirt, much like something Lucy would wear. Her hair was pulled back in a thick ponytail that she'd draped over one shoulder and- _did she have lip gloss on?_ When did she even get makeup? As far as Romeo knew, she'd never owned so much as nail polish.

Wendy smiled at him as she walked into the kitchen, and greeted, "Good morning, Romeo," as she sat down in the chair beside him.

Romeo blinked, snapped out of his mini trance. "U-Uh, good morning," he stammered, quickly turning his gaze down at his bowl of oatmeal.

Mayu looked up from the tiny cook stove and smiled big. There was a knowing look in her eyes that confused Romeo. "My, don't you look dressed up," she remarked. "Do you really want to go magic-bracelet hunting in such pretty clothes?"

Wendy blushed and shrugged, saying, "I wanted to make a good impression."

Romeo frowned down at his bowl. She never dressed this way on any of the smaller jobs they took. Mayu walked over and set another bowl in front of Wendy, and Wendy thanked her. Then, that boy- what was his name? Aiko?- came sauntering in dressed in all black like some Goth kids Romeo saw running around Magnolia, most of them running from the police. He sat down in the seat across from Wendy and, without even looking at Romeo, flashed her a bright smile. "Hey, Wendy," he said.

"Good morning, Aiko," Wendy said, her blush seeming to deepen.

And then Romeo _knew_. This boy was making Wendy act funny. Instantly his eyes narrowed at him, but, if Aiko noticed it, he didn't acknowledge him.

"You look good," he said.

Wendy smiled. "Thank you."

Romeo could've sworn his eyes were just slits by this point. He spoke to her so casually, like they'd been the ones who'd been best friends. He didn't know why, but it bothered him. He forced his glare down to his oatmeal and stirred it a little too hard.

"So," Aiko said, "I heard you guys are mages. What kind of magic do you use?"

"Well, Romeo uses multicolored flames," Wendy replied. "They're really cool- except for the yellow one, but…never mind."

"And what kind do you use?"

Wendy bit her lip, feeling nervous. She glanced over at Romeo, and he saw how restless her nerves were just through her expression. He sighed a little and said, "Wendy uses Dragon Slayer magic."

Aiko's eyes widened. "Really? I heard that's really rare."

"K-Kind of," Wendy said, ducking her head. Romeo chuckled a little at her bashfulness- people getting excited over her magic made her embarrassed. He knew this better than almost anybody.

"Wendy," Romeo said, "we should probably go now."

Wendy nodded. "You're probably right." She looked at Mayu and said, "Thank you for breakfast. We'll be back later."

"See you," Mayu said with a wave of her hand.

Aiko stood along with them. "Will you guys be all right out there?" he asked, but he was only looking at Wendy. "There are those vulcans and wyverns and they aren't too happy with the climate change."

Romeo felt ticked off. Did he think Romeo couldn't keep Wendy safe? "We'll be fine," he answered for Wendy, and, taking Wendy's hand, he led her out into the hall and out the front door.

Out in the sunlight, he felt better. It was nice outside, and Romeo could clearly see the forest surrounding the village now instead of only seeing the looming shadows that creeped him out, even though he wouldn't admit it. Carla came walking up from nowhere that Romeo saw and, putting her paws on her hips, asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"Where did you come from?" Romeo demanded, jumping at her sudden appearance.

"Edolas," she replied, and Wendy smiled while Romeo rolled his eyes.

"Very funny." He started walking towards the forest. "I say we just sort of wander around first and get a feel for the area. That way, when we really start searching, we'll at least know a little about our surroundings and we won't get lost."

"Sounds good," Wendy said, jogging to catch up with him. Suddenly, Romeo stopped and Wendy ran into his back. "Ow," she mumbled, stepping back. "What's wrong, Romeo?"

He turned back and ran towards the cottage, startling Wendy, and he ducked inside. Mayu was standing just inside the kitchen, and Aiko was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, Mayu?" he said, and the old woman turned around. "Can I ask you a quick question?"

"Sure."

"Why did the locals chase us away?"

"Oh, they're just paranoid about outsiders," she explained. "A few years ago another team of mages came up here for some sort of job, too, but they destroyed half the town and it took us forever to build it again…let's see, what guild were they from again? Fake Turtle? Free Tiger?…Romeo?"

Romeo sweatdropped. "Uh, well…thanks, Mayu!" And he bolted for the door.

Mayu's eyes widened as the door shut behind him. "Oh! I remember now. It was _Fairy Tail_."

* * *

"Romeo, stop running! I can't keep up in these shoes!" Wendy complained, stumbling over the uneven forest floor as Romeo leaped easily over obstacles.

"Well, you shouldn't have worn such fancy clothes," Romeo retorted, but he slowed to let Wendy catch up. They were deep in the forest now, where fallen trees and small brooks proved to be tough obstacles to beat with Wendy in those prissy, high heeled boots. Right now, they stood at the edge of one of the streams, wide enough that if Romeo laid down across it his fingers and toes would just barely touch each side. Carla hovered on the other side, waiting impatiently.

"Hurry up, it'll be dark soon!" the white cat called to them.

"We'll be at Mayu's before then," Romeo replied, then turned to Wendy, who kept looking at the brook, then down at her feet, then back at the brook. "Can you jump it?"

"Maybe," she said uncertainly, seeming worried. "I don't want to get wet, though."

Romeo rolled his eyes. "If you jump high enough, you won't," he said. "But you go first, so if you can't cross, I can help."

Wendy smiled gratefully. "Thanks." Then, hesitating for only a second, Wendy began to run towards the edge of water. She tripped after three steps and landed flat on her face. Romeo bit back a laugh and held out his hand to help her up. "Ow," she mumbled, taking his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

"You shouldn't have worn clothes like that to go running around in," he told her.

She frowned, poking her bottom lip out in what was a babyish pout. "Sorry, I just wanted to try something different," she said.

_Yeah. Sure. _But he just rolled his eyes again and said, "Get on my back; I'll carry you across."

"Wh-What?" She looked at him incredulously. "I-I'm too heavy, though."

"Trust me, you won't get wet," Romeo promised, grinning at her.

Her frown seemed to deepen, but he didn't know why. She sighed, and Romeo got down on his knees so she could climb onto his back. Holding her up by her legs, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck, his grin widened a little. "Don't drop me," she said, sounding nervous as he backed up.

"Why would I do that?" he countered. He didn't see the blush on Wendy's face, since he was busy judging the distance across the stream and how far he'd have to jump. Then, he commanded, "Hold on tight," and took off at a run at the brook's edge. Wendy screamed, clinging tightly to him as he leaped high into the air. Just for a moment, they were airborne, floating there in the open air, just the two of them. For some reason, Wendy felt herself smiling- no, _grinning_. It felt somewhat awesome. But then they landed on the other side, Romeo somehow landing on his feet and managing not to drop her.

"See?" he said, loosening grip so Wendy to slide down his back without falling. "I told you I wouldn't drop you."

Wendy, still smiling, said, "Thanks, Romeo."

Carla fluttered into Wendy's face, startling her into taking a step back. "It's about time!" she said. "We have to hurry, it'll be dark soon."

"So I've heard," Romeo said, and Carla glared at him. He held up his hands in surrender, grinning, and said, "Okay, okay, let's head back." He turned and began walking into the trees, Wendy and Carla right on his heels.

At least, they were for a minute.

Romeo had tuned out just for a second, lost in thought of the bracelet. He'd snapped out of it soon, though, and went to look over his shoulder, opening his mouth to speak. "Wen-?" he started, but he stopped when he noticed the absence of vibrant blue hair. He stopped walking and turned around, and, still not seeing her (or Carla, for that matter), called out, "Wendy? Carla? Where'd you go?"

There was no answer; only the soft, melodic chirping of the birds, the sound of the breeze against the grass. A slight feeling of panic bubbled in his chest and he began heading back in the direction he last saw her, reasoning that she'd probably tripped in her heels again and he just hadn't noticed. "Wendy?" he called again, louder this time. "Carla?" There was still no answer, and his panic grew. He'd spaced out and now he couldn't find her. Oh, God… "Wendy!" he shouted. "Where are you? Come on, this isn't funny!" His pace quickened with every step he took, with every glance he took that didn't see her, till he was running. He yelled her name, yelled the cat's name, but there was no answer. He couldn't have lost her. He shouldn't have. But, oh God, he had. And who knew where she was now? _She's probably freaking out, _he thought, searching frantically for a flash of blue or white in the endless green. Carla's words rang in his head, _It'll be dark soon, it'll be dark soon. _If it got dark before he found her, she would have a melt down. _He _would have a melt down, because it would be almost impossible to find her then.

_Oh God, Wendy, where did you go?_

* * *

"Ouch," Wendy muttered under her breath, her heels catching on another upraised root and sending her sprawling. She got up on her knees and tried to stand only to find her shoe was caught in the tangle of flexible branches. She sighed and said, "Romeo, could you help me, please?" But the dark-haired boy didn't respond, walking forward as if he hadn't heard her.

"Brat," mumbled Carla, pulling at the branches to free Wendy's foot. "Doesn't even pay attention to you! I don't see what you see in him, Wendy."

Wendy's face flushed, embarrassed. "W-What do you mean, Carla?"

Carla rolled her eyes but didn't respond, still tugging at the branches. Wendy pulled, too, but, despite being flexible, they seemed intent on staying wrapped around the heel. "Jeez," Carla hissed, "what's with this thing?"

"Oh, my shoe," Wendy said sadly. She liked these shoes; they made her feel pretty.

Carla looked at her funny. "What's wrong with you? You're upset over the shoes?"

_Yes. They completed the look that made Aiko say I looked good. _"I borrowed them from Lucy," she lied. "I don't think she'd be happy if I broke one."

"You're not going to break it," Carla said, sounding a bit irritated, "but you may have to lose it. It seems like it's not coming out without a fight."

Wendy sighed, then said, "Let's try one more ti…where's Romeo?" She was looking over her shoulder where her friend had been standing, but he was gone.

"Oh, great. He went and left us here!" Carla said, throwing her paws up in the air.

"No, that's not like him," Wendy argued, worry creeping into her. "He probably spaced out and wandered off. But I can find him with my nose, I bet. Let's just free my shoe first." She reached down and gripped the branches tightly, pulling hard, but they didn't snap.

Carla sighed. "For a Sky Goddess and an Exceed, we sure are pretty helpless, aren't we?" she muttered.

Wendy felt a little irritated. "We're not helpless," she said, yanking hard on the branches again. Carla sighed again, but started trying to help.

Suddenly, there was the sound of snapping twigs- and it wasn't the ones wrapped around Wendy's heel. Her head snapped up, eyes wide, and looked around. "Romeo?" she called, but there was no reply. And there was a different smell in the air, not smoky, cologne-like one that usually hung around Romeo. It smelled of pipe tobacco and grass, and it smelled strangely familiar, but she couldn't figure out who it belonged to. She tried to think, but then there was another twig-snapping sound. She jerked her head in the direction of the sound, to her right, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Wendy, what's wrong?" Carla asked, moving to stand in her line of vision.

"I…hear something," Wendy said, whispering, but she didn't know why she felt she needed to whisper. "I smell someone, too. But it isn't Romeo."

"Who is it, then?" Her voice had dropped, too, to match the soft tone Wendy used. Her eyes were narrowed.

"I don't know." Wendy still stared off into the trees, listening for the sound of someone moving. She still smelled tobacco. The stranger was still there somewhere. Suddenly, she thought she saw a slight movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, fear piercing her for a second- _some stranger is coming after me! _But then she saw the familiar dark-purple hair and felt most of the panic subside. "Romeo!"

"Wendy!" Romeo seemed relieved, and he stopped a foot or two away from her, hands on her his knees, breathing heavily. He'd been running, that much was obvious.

"Where were you?" demanded Carla, her fur still sticking straight up.

"I…sorta…spaced out," he panted. "Sorry."

Wendy smiled. She knew him better than maybe even his dad- she knew he wouldn't have just left her here. "It's all right. I'm just a little stuck here…"

Romeo looked at her foot and burst out laughing. "Only you could've managed that," he chuckled.

Wendy looked at him irritably. "Romeo, just help me, please."

Still smiling, he broke the twigs easily and helped Wendy to her feet. "There," he said. "All better." This time standing behind her, he said, "Come on, let's go home." He walked behind her, watching her and Carla carefully, so not to lose them again. Wendy giggled a little, and then she remembered the stranger. She stopped and looked back, searching the shadows for any sign of someone.

The smell was still there, but it was faint. The stranger was gone.

"Wendy?" Romeo said curiously. "What's wrong?"

Wendy glanced at him, wondering whether she should tell him or not. But she decided against it. It was probably just some creepy guy from the village who'd run off when Romeo showed up. She was safe now, and she didn't need to worry him. "Nothing," she said, and kept on walking, Carla held tightly in her arms.

* * *

A few feet away, peering from the bushes, the man, wrapped tightly in a black cloak to keep him hidden in the shadows, watched the children head back towards the village. He grinned at the girl, a plan forming in his dark mind. "The Sky Goddess, eh?"


	7. Chapter Seven: N for Not Who You Think

**I am so so so so so so so sorry it took so long! My computer crashed on me! My chapter uploads will be much quicker than this, but, just so ya know, a lot less frequent than before. And, again, so sorry for the really long delay. :'( Forgive me? Read and review, please!**

* * *

PART SEVEN

They made it back to Mayu's just before darkness fell, Romeo leading the way through the sleeping village in the last few rays of sunlight. Once they were out of the trees, he'd come to stand in front again- partly because he didn't put it past the villagers to chuck a pot at them through a window and partly because he wanted to lead. They stepped through the front door of the familiar cottage and, much to Romeo's disappointment, ran right into Aiko.

Wendy smiled brightly when she saw him. "Aiko!" she said happily.

Aiko smiled back and, completely looking over Romeo, said, "Wendy! I was worried when you didn't make it back for dinner. Are you all right?"

Romeo frowned and said a little irritably, "We're fine."

"We were late because I tripped and got stuck in the grass," Wendy explained. She stepped around Romeo to be directly in front of Aiko. "Sorry if I made you worry."

Romeo felt like throwing up from the flirting. It was very obvious- Wendy liked this boy, and he seemed to like her back. And all this went down after one day? Romeo had known Wendy since he was six, and yet she never-

_No._ He didn't let himself finish that thought. He fell back into reality, then, and realized Wendy was looking at him. "Um, what?" he asked.

"Aiko said there were leftovers in the kitchen if we're hungry," Wendy said.

"It's just some soup, and it's gotten a little cold but you have fire magic, right?" Aiko was looking at him over Wendy's head. Romeo detected a slight smirk on his face when he was forced to explain that his flames weren't exactly _hot_. He resisted the urge to flip the guy off when he said, "Well, that's okay. I can just start up a fire for you."

Wendy smiled wide. "Thank you very much!"

"It's no problem," Aiko said with a grin. "After all, if I didn't help a pretty girl, what kind of gentleman would I be?"

Wendy blushed and giggled a little behind her hand. This time, when Wendy and Aiko's backs were turned, Romeo didn't fight the temptation. With a scowl, he flipped the dark-haired boy's back off before following them into the kitchen.

* * *

As Romeo spread out a blanket on the floor later that night, he did the best he could to ignore his unwanted companion sprawled on his side on the couch. Somehow the boy had convinced him to let him take the couch while Romeo slept on the floor, which had already put Aiko a bit into Romeo's bad side. But he went deeper still the more Romeo saw him with Wendy, not that he really understood why that ticked him off so much. In fact, he wasn't exactly sure he _wanted_ to know why. But it bothered him.

A lot.

"So why can't your fire heat up anything?" Aiko asked curiously. Then, with a smile that Romeo didn't like, he added, "I mean, isn't that the whole point of fire?"

"In magic, it doesn't have to follow reality," Romeo said in a surprisingly calm voice, then prayed the boy would shut up and go to sleep. Of course Romeo could never be that lucky.

"Well, why not?" Aiko asked. When Romeo didn't answer, he said, "Then what _can _your fire do?"

Romeo suppressed a sigh. "I have one type that is cold, another sticky purple type, and…a yellow one that you don't wanna know about."

"So you have a _cold _flame?" Aiko laughed. "Really, what's the point in that?"

"I don't know," Romeo snapped. "That's just what it does, okay?" He grabbed a cushion from the couch to use as a pillow, laid down on the blanket, and closed his eyes, hoping Aiko would get the message that he wanted to sleep, not talk.

At first, Romeo thought he had. The boy went quiet for a bit, only occasionally rolling over on the couch and making the springs squeak. Then, right as Romeo began to drift off, Aiko said, "So what's your relationship with Wendy?"

Romeo's eyes snapped open. "What?" he asked, sitting up and looking over at Aiko.

Aiko propped himself up on one elbow and said, "Like, are you guys dating or…?"

Romeo shook his head quickly. "No, no, no!" he said. "Wendy's just my friend. We're on the same team. That's it." He said the last two words a little sadly and frowned. Why would he say them sadly?

Aiko smiled. "Good!" he said. "Then you won't mind if I take a shot at her."

Romeo blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Well, she is a real babe!" Aiko said.

An uneasy feeling stirred in Romeo's stomach. "You mean, like…you're going to ask her out?"

"Well, sure," Aiko said with a grin. "Like I said, she's hot."

The uneasiness grew. Did he really just call his Wendy "hot"? Romeo blinked again. _Wait, did I just call her _my_ Wendy?_ He shook his head a little and said, "That's not a real polite way to refer to a girl's…attractiveness."

Aiko snorted. "She's not here, is she?"

The uneasiness turned to a bright flash of anger. "So? If you like her, respect her," he snapped.

Aiko just smirked at him. "Knew it," he said, sounding triumphant.

"Knew what?"

"You do like her."

Romeo frowned for what seemed like the millionth time today. "Well, yeah, she's my best friend, even if her cat gets on my every freakin' nerve…"

"No, you _like _her," repeated Aiko, his smirk turning into a full out grin.

Romeo's eyes widened at the assumption. He rapidly opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to find something intelligent to say. Really, how do you respond to _that_?

Aiko's grin vanished suddenly, fast enough that Romeo wondered if this guy was prone to mood swings. "But let me warn ya, buddy- I've already got her wrapped around my finger. This contest is already won."

The anger returned, replacing Romeo's shock. "She's not a trophy; she's not something you can just win like a prize at a fair!" Romeo objected angrily.

"Yeah, I know," Aiko said. "_She's _not the prize, anyway. Her heart is."

Romeo felt like putting his hands over his ears and chanting under his breath like a five-year-old. He didn't want to hear all this mushy crap. But he didn't move fast enough to block out Aiko's next words.

"Those sweet little girls' hearts are always the most fun to break."

_"What?"_

Aiko's grinned returned. "What? You haven't figured it out yet? I'm a player, and proud of it."

In a flash, Romeo's anger turned to fury. He wanted to _break Wendy's heart?_ He was going to make her cry; he was going to take her smile away…

Romeo was on his feet in an instant, fists clenched, eyes flashing dangerously. Aiko's eyes widened, startled, and said, "Hey, man…"

"Before you make her cry, I suggest you think through who's going to back her up. Who's going to beat the crap out of you if you do."

Aiko's startled look quickly changed into a sneer. "What're you going to do if I do make her cry?" he demanded. "Set me on fire? Oh, wait- that won't do anything, now will it?" And the boy laughed at him. _He laughed at him._

"Trust me," Romeo said in a soft but still threatening voice that for some reason managed to shut the kid up. "If you hurt her, I swear I will _tear you to pieces._" Then, turning to grab his blanket and starting for the door, he snarled, "She deserves _much_ better than you." And he slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Wendy curled up tight in the covers on Aiko's bed, feeling somewhat giddy. Aiko had said she looked pretty. He'd smiled at her. She squealed softly to herself, thinking happily, _He's so nice to me, and he cares about me, too. He was worried for me, oh, how sweet! He saved leftovers for me, too. And _(she couldn't stop dwelling on this part) _he called me pretty!_

She was grinning now. She could just imagine the moment where she caught him alone for a little while. They'd start talking, she'd make him smile, he'd make her laugh, and their eyes would meet and a connection would immediately be formed. He lean in slowly, cup her face in his hands, and…

Suddenly, the image of her and Romeo in the carriage flashed in her mind. It startled her, making her blink in surprise. Why had _that _entered her thoughts? That had all been an accident, nothing more…it wasn't like she liked Romeo in _that _kind of way. He was her best friend. Her kind, funny, mildly insane, and cute best-

_Cute?_

Her face flushed in the darkness. What made her think that? What made her-

"Wendy?"

Wendy bit down hard on her tongue to hold back a startled scream before sitting up, the covers still wrapped around her, to look towards the door. Her fear vanished, but her heart still pounded wildly in her chest as she thought of her what she'd just been thinking of. "R-Romeo?" she asked incredulously. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Romeo stepped into the room, his blanket draped around his shoulders like a cape. He seemed to hesitate before shrugging and saying, "Couldn't sleep. Mind if I stay up here tonight?"

"Sure."

"You are sleeping on the floor!" said Carla suddenly from where she was curled up at the end of the bed. Romeo cracked a small smile, waved his hand like "whatever," and spread out his blanket on the floor. Wendy smiled a little at his back before turning to face the wall and snuggling back into her covers.

She was almost asleep when Romeo said, sounding wide awake, "Wendy?"

"Mmm?" she mumbled tiredly.

"Do…do you like that Aiko kid?"

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight, ignoring the thump that meant she'd accidentally kicked Carla off the bed. _"What?" _she demanded, sounding shocked.

"Do you like Aiko?" Romeo repeated. He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't turn to look at her.

"W-Why do you ask?" she stammered, flustered.

"Ow!" shouted Carla, but they both ignored her.

Romeo sighed and shrugged a little. "No reason. You just…seem a little strange around him, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you dressed today, the way you look at him." He paused. "I'm your best friend. I notice when you act differently."

Wendy blushed crimson. She was hoping he hadn't noticed her attempts to impress Aiko. "I-I'm not acting different," she insisted, hoping he'd just agree and let it go.

But if he had, he wouldn't be her Romeo, now would he?

"You are," he replied. "You shouldn't have to act different to make someone like you, Wen." He used her nickname, wondering if that'd get to her.

Wendy frowned. "Well. So what if I like him, then? What's the big deal?"

Romeo hesitated. One part of him wanted to tell her that he just wanted to know. Another told him to tell her the truth.

"Romeo?"

At the sound of her voice, he just knew he couldn't lie. "That Aiko kid is bad news, Wendy," he said softly. " He's not who you think. I don't think you should chase him like you are."

He could almost _hear _Wendy's eyes darkening. "What do you mean, he's bad news?" she demanded.

Romeo sighed again, feeling the remnants of his anger twisting in his stomach as he said, "I was talking to him earlier. He said…he said he had you wrapped around his finger. That he was player, and he only wanted to break your heart because it was _fun_." He spat the last word, his fist clenching without him realizing it. Wendy was silent for a long while, and Romeo couldn't tell if she was getting angry or sad. He decided to chance it and said, "I-I'm sorry, Wendy. I know you liked him and all…"

"You're lying."

Romeo sat up straight. _"What?"_

Wendy was looking straight at him, but her expression was unreadable. For the first time since Romeo had met her, he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "Why would you lie to me like that, Romeo?" she asked. "You're my best friend. You shouldn't lie to me."

Disbelief had to have been evident on his face as he stood up, the blanket falling to the floor at his feet. "You think I'm _lying _to you?" he asked incredulously.

"Aiko likes me," she said. "And he's nice to me. And I like him. Why would you try and ruin that for me?"

Romeo stepped back a step like he'd been slapped. "W-Why…I would _never in a million years _do that to you, Wendy. But this guy doesn't really like you…he just wants to hurt you…"

"Romeo. Just leave. Okay?"

Romeo stood there for a moment, staring at her, hurt and disbelief etched on his features. Wendy had looked away by now, staring down at her hands pointedly- she was done talking to him. Finally, Romeo blinked and a slight bit of anger mixed with hurt rang in his voice as he said, "Fine. Suit yourself." He scooped up his blanket for the second time that night and stalked out of the room.

Wendy sat there, staring at her hands until she felt the bed give a little and knew Carla had climbed up the bed to sit beside her. They were silent for a minute or two. Then Carla said, "Wendy. What if he's right?"

"He's not." Wendy's voice was stubborn and irritated, hiding how exactly upset she was. "He's lying because he's jealous."

Carla paused before saying softly, "I may not like the kid, but I know he likes you. I know he would never lie to you over something so petty if you were happy." And, without another word, the feline curled up in the covers and closed her eyes. Wendy stared at her for a moment before lying back down, trying her hardest to ignore the crazy mixture of feelings bubbling in her stomach.


	8. Chapter Eight: T for Theft of the Dragon

PART EIGHT

The next was incredibly awkward…and even more incredibly uneventful. After an awkward breakfast, Romeo, Wendy, and Carla had set out towards the forest on an even more awkward walk. Needless to say, they gave up small talk or politeness after a minute or two, then gave up on their walk altogether. They returned and, being the lovesick Sky Dragon she was, Wendy had instantly searched for Aiko. But he wasn't there.

So, Mayu having a headache and sleeping all day plus a pissy Romeo plus a pissy Wendy equaled a crappy day completely. And Wendy was about fed up with being angry with Romeo, drooling over Aiko, trying to ease Mayu's migraine, and then balancing eating and resting into the equation that had suddenly become her day.

She lay in bed that night, all her thoughts rolling like stormy waves in her head. She wanted to squeal like a little girl because today Aiko had brought her a flower from Mayu's garden and put it in her hair. She wanted to scream because, besides saying "hi" and "good night," Romeo hadn't said a word to her all day and he'd looked like he'd wanted to kill something when Aiko gave her the flower. But, throughout it all, she just wanted to close her eyes and _sleep_, because it wasn't fair for a thirteen-year-old girl to have to go through all this emotional nonsense, especially after using a good deal of her magic and already exhausting herself out.

Again, Wendy had had a crappy day. And now _she _had a headache.

Sighing, she rolled over in the covers to face the dresser where she'd placed Aiko's flower in a glass of water. She smiled at it instantly…and then her smile fell as Romeo's words rang in her head:

_"That Aiko kid is bad news. He's not who you think."_

Why would he tell her that? Did he want to see her cry or something? She felt like…well, maybe like…she was in love.

_Maybe he's jealous._

She frowned at the thought, not really able to see Romeo getting jealous enough that he'd hurt her. It just didn't seem like him. But…

She hadn't realized she'd drifted off until her eyes snapped open, wide with shock. Something wasn't right.

Wendy kicked her feet a little, waiting for the thud that meant she'd knocked Carla off the bed again. But her feet hit only empty space. Where was Carla? And suddenly she just knew, because she smelled something different. Strange. Scary.

_Grass and pipe tobacco. _

Wendy opened her mouth to scream when a shadow lunged from the corner of the room and clamped a hand down over her mouth, silencing her shout, which turned into a strangled whimper beneath the weathered hand. Her eyes darted up, searching for a face. A sinking feeling entered her as her eyes widened and she attempted again to scream. She knew this person. He was…

A low chuckle sounded above her as frightened tears filled her eyes. "Yer a hard one to catch…Sky Princess."

_Nathaniel._

* * *

Wendy didn't come down to breakfast the next morning.

Romeo sat alone at the table, poking at his eggs, trying to ignore the fact that his eyes kept flickering towards the doorway, waiting to see her angry blue-haired self come marching in, determined to ignore him, the same as yesterday.

But she never came down.

Romeo bit his lip as it neared nine o'clock, thinking, _God, how moody is she? We have a job to do!_ Another ten minutes passed and she never came down.

Romeo had already thoroughly stabbed his eggs to death, never having taken a bite. With a sigh, he stood and scrapped the murdered eggs into the trash bin before starting irritably up the stairs. "Wendy?" he called as he ascended. "Wendy, c'mon. Get up already."

She didn't answer.

He reached the loft and poked his head tentatively inside. He could see a lump under the covers. _Wendy,_ he thought. He said, "Get up, Wendy. Don't make me lose my million jewels."

_"Mmmhh!" _came from under the sheets.

Romeo frowned. Then he realized the covers were shaking violently. Confused, he stepped further into the room and pulled the covers back. He gasped.

Carla, bound and gagged, lay thrashing under the covers, eyes wide and full of tears. When she saw him, she shrieked, _"Mmmhhh mff!"_

"Carla? What…Where…?"

The gag slipped from her mouth and she screamed, _"Untie me, you idiot! He took Wendy!"_

Romeo stumbled back like he'd be punched. "Who…?"

_"Untie me!" _

Quickly he ripped the bindings from Carla's paws. She leapt to her feet and shrieked, "He used magic on me! I can't fly! He kidnapped Wendy!"

"Who did?" Romeo demanded. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know! The…the…creepy old guy took her! Towards the top of Hakobe I…"

He never heard the rest of her sentence, because he was already out the door and flying down the stairs. Somewhere in his mind, as he tore the front door open and took off like a bullet for the woods, he remembered thinking viciously, _No one touches my Wendy._


	9. Chapter Nine: E for Enchanted Bracelet

PART NINE

"Drink this."

Wendy wearily opened her eyes, feeling exhausted. He'd put her in a sack like hunter's game and dragged her through the forest, not caring how she bounced and ached from hitting rocks. She was scratched and bruised, tired and scared, by the time he finally deposited her in this cave. Shackles had been waiting for her, and he'd instantly chained her to the rocky wall, keeping her from running. She'd contemplated using her roar many times, but she was afraid she'd destroy the whole cave and bring it down on top of both of them. So she resigned to lying still, waiting.

Nathaniel crouched in front of her, holding a flask with a deep red liquid that resembled blood. The thought of drinking it made Wendy feel sick to her stomach. Stubbornly she shook her head. "I won't."

"Drink it," Nathaniel repeated in a more forceful, intimidating tone. His free fist clenched, seeming to threaten her.

Wendy felt a little panicked. Would he really hit her? She didn't know. Stalling, she said, "What is it?"

"You'll see."

"But…"

_"Drink it."_

Reluctantly, Wendy took the flask and sipped from it. She gagged violently as soon as it hit her tongue; it was vile-tasting. Her mouth burned slightly, an uncomfortable feeling. She tried to hand him the flask back, but he said, "Drink it all." And, still seeing his fist clenched, she forced the rest of the drink down her throat. Suddenly, it felt like her throat was on fire. With a gasp she tossed the flask aside.

_"Water!" _she sputtered. _"Water!" _But Nathaniel just stood and walked away, leaving her clawing at her burning throat and still begging for something to ease the pain. After a minute or two, the feeling faded, and she was left gasping, curled up on the cave floor. She looked at Nathaniel, who had moved to stand at the mouth of the cave. In a dry, raspy voice, she managed, "What…did I…just drink?"

The old man smirked at her over his shoulder. "Nothing much," he said with a little shrug. "Just a little potion I invented. Takes away magic for a while. No biggie."

Wendy's eyes widened, horrified. She'd waited too long; now her magic wasn't an option at all. She swallowed hard, but it made her still-sensitive throat sting. She coughed before rasping, "Why did…you take me?"

"I believe you know the answer…_Sky Princess_."

If her eyes were wide before, they were bulging now. She understood now. He wanted her for her healing magic. This had happened to her before, when she met Fairy Tail fighting Oracion Seis. And something else clicked in her head….

"The enchanted bracelet," she murmured.

Nathaniel chuckled, startling her. "I knew you were a smart one, girlie. Yes. I want the bracelet. But it wasn't mine to begin with. It was…regrettably lost by a former princess. I just happened upon it, before it was stolen from me. Now." He turned to face her, a smile playing on his dry lips. "Let's sit back and watch yer little friend go find me my bracelet, eh?" With that, he walked out of the cave, leaving Wendy alone in the shadows.

* * *

Romeo was flying wildly through the trees, searching for any clue, any indication of where Wendy might be. Thoughts whirled dizzyingly in his head as he ran. _They took Wendy! Is she okay? Did they hurt her? If they did, I'll kill them. Why did they want Wendy?…Who took her?_

_ "It was the creepy old man!" _Carla had said. And Romeo could only think of one weird old man they'd met on this journey. Glowering at nothing, Romeo thought again, _If he hurt her, I'll kill him._

Suddenly, his foot caught an upturned tree root. With a gasp he went sprawling, getting a mouthful of leaves and dirt. He sat up quickly, spitting out the mud. He looked around him, realizing he really had no idea where he was. This was farther into the forest than him and Wendy had ventured during their walks. And…_what was that?_

From the base of a tall oak nearby came a faint golden glow, like a small ray of sunshine coming from the ground. Romeo frowned, getting to his feet, curiosity pushing him to move closer, to see what was there. But what about Wendy? He had to find her first.

But that glow emanated a warm, cozy feeling, making him feel strong, better than he'd felt all week. He found his feet moving out of their own accord, leading him towards the light….

_Wham! _Something large and heavy slammed violently into his side, throwing him clear away from the tree and hard into a different one. Crying out, his head cracked against the bark and he saw stars as he slid down to the ground. He looked through the colors dancing in front of his eyes and saw a huge dark shape lumbering around, blocking him from the light. Words came back to him, making his eyes widen as the stars began to fade. _"There is an enchanted bracelet hidden somewhere atop Mount Hakobe, and it guarded by many different monsters…"_

His vision cleared and he saw the creature standing before him. It looked like a cross between a large dog and a medium lion, with a shaggy mane but a wagging tail and rolling pink tongue. It was anything but cute, though, its fur stained with something red and drooling as it snarled at Romeo. Its eyes were pools of darkness and staring right at him. If there was one word needed to describe the thing, Romeo would've said _hungry-lookin'. _

Romeo sat at the base of the tree for a second, stunned. Then the throbbing at the back of his head brought him back. _The bracelet's here, _he thought, climbing unsteadily to his feet. The animal growled at him and he froze. Then, in a irritatingly shaky voice, Romeo whispered, "N-Now, boy, calm d-down…be a g-good boy…"

The lion-dog cocked its head, seeming to say, _Really? That's your strategy?_ Then it lunged at him.

Romeo was ashamed to say he screamed like a little kid. He threw his hands up, barely noticing how they reflexively encased themselves in the purple flames. He randomly swung at the creature, hitting it square on the nose. It roared, recoiling from the blow, looking aggravated. Romeo watched it warily, waiting for it to jump at him again. He kept his hands covered in the purple flames. His heart pounded in his chest. The creature stared at him for a second longer, then began circling him like shark. It growled low in its chest the whole time, setting Romeo's nerves on edge.

Romeo stammered, "G-Good boy…don't a-attack…" He spun in a slow circle, keeping his eyes locked on the lion-dog. As if testing him, it clawed at him. Romeo leaned sideways and the claws latched into the bark of the tree behind him, sticking. It roared, outraged, and pulled viciously, trying to free its claws. Out of the corner of Romeo's eye, he saw the faint glow from the bracelet. If he could get to that, he could kill the creature and run, maybe even find Wendy easier (who knew what that bracelet that controlled life was capable of?). His eyes flickered back to the creature, which was still stuck tight. With only a second of hesitation, he extinguished his flames and lunged for the light.

Romeo took only a few steps before something landed hard in front of him, rising larger and bulkier than the lion-dog. A weird grunting sound escaped its lips as Romeo skidded to a horrified stop. He knew what this was. He _hated _them.

A Vulcan.

The white ape-like creature grinned down at him, dark eyes wide. "Boy," he grunted, its words barely distinguishable from its normal grunts and screeches. "Delicious!" It swiped a massive paw down at him, ready to snatch him.

Fear mixed with anger flooded through him. This was the kind of creature that almost took his father- his older, more experienced father- from him. He wanted revenge and to run at the same, wondering, _If it took over my dad, what could it do to me? _He leaped back at the last second, and the ape's paw crashed into the dirt where Romeo had been standing, throwing up a cloud of dust. Romeo coughed on it before igniting his fists again, this time in the blue fire, and prepared to fight.

"Snow," the Vulcan yelped, looking down at him. "Where snow?"

Romeo blinked, confused. Then…"Oh!"

The creature's eyes widened. "You know?"

"Um…no, actually."

Its eyes darkened again. "You die, then." And it jumped up over him, ready to squash him like a bug. Romeo rolled out of the way, thinking vaguely on how many times he'd rolled out of the way of Makarov's giant foot. But that thought led to Wendy, and that made him hurt a little. Where was she? Was she okay?

The ape landed hard just a few feet away from him, the ground shaking under the impact. Romeo stumbled, starting to back up, but then he heard a loud _crack! _He turned and yelled, "Oh, crap!" The lion-dog had pulled its claws form the tree and was shaking itself, standing directly behind him. It locked its eyes on Romeo and let out an angry roar. "Oh, crap," Romeo repeated, holding up his flaming fists, thinking, _This is it. This is how I'll die._

Suddenly, the glow exploded into a blinding light. Romeo threw his hands up to shield his eyes, screaming in shock and fear along with the monsters. A mighty wind whipped through the trees, blowing Romeo back as if he were a piece of paper. He flew back and slammed into a tree for the second time today. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, sinking down to his knees at the base of the tree. A loud screeching noise filled the air and with a cry Romeo clapped his hands over his ears. Panic built in his chest- _what's going on? What's the light? The wind? The noise? What's going on?_

Then, just as quickly as it came, the wind, the noise, and the light died, leaving Romeo curled up at the tree, cowering like a little kid. Slowly, he removed his hands from his ears. There was no sound whatsoever. Where were the Vulcan and the lion-dog? He cracked his eyes open a little, then all the way. His stomach churned dangerously. The ape and the mutant lay on the ground, still. Romeo knew without checking them that they were dead. And then a low chuckle reached his ears. He was scared to look, to see who'd caused it all. But he looked anyway, because he had a feeling he already knew. Standing not two feet away from him was Nathaniel.

And in his hand, he held a golden-beaded bracelet.

* * *

Wendy was freaking out. She felt like the shadows were closing in on her, suffocating her. She _hated _the dark. And Nathaniel knew it. _He's sick, _she thought, fear mixed with fury building inside of her. She pulled viciously at the shackles around her ankles, hoping her Dragon Slayer strength would finally reveal itself and she'd break the chains and free herself.

But no.

She was still scared, weak, little kidnapped Wendy. Right now, she certainly didn't feel like she could be anything that even resembled a fearless dragon.

Scared, frustrated tears spilled down her cheeks, and for the millionth time since the old man had left her, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to find her magic. She could feel it, the warm, tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach. But it was like it was in a box. A heavily locked, made-of-steel box, one to which she couldn't find a key. She let out a frustrated yell, pounding her fists against the cave floor. She was so freaking _pathetic. _

She let herself get kidnapped. She let herself lose her magic. She let the old man go after the bracelet, after Romeo…

She hit the floor again, but the only thing she got from that was making her knuckles bleed. So, sucking on her cuts, still feeling the darkness closing in, Wendy fell back against the cave wall behind her, curled into a little ball, and cried.

* * *

"_You," _Romeo snarled, feeling the beginnings of anger eating away his fear.

Nathaniel smiled. "How ya doin', boy? Haven't seen ya in a while, eh?"

"Where's Wendy?"

Nathaniel tilted his head, as if he was confused, but his condescending grin remained. "Who?"

Romeo got to his feet, ignoring how he swayed and the pounding feeling in the back of his head. He'd hit his head again, but this time it was taking longer for the stars to vanish. Everything seemed to shake and blur, but he forced his eyes to focus on the old man. "Where's Wendy?" he repeated.

"Hmmm…" Nathaniel tapped his chin, seeming to think it over. "Ya know, that's a good question."

"I swear, if you've hurt her…"

Nathaniel's grin widened a little. "She's fine, fer now. You, on the other hand, don't seem to be doin' so well."

Romeo ignored the last jibe, his anger growing. "What do you mean, for now? Where is she?" He tried to take a step towards the man, but the world started to spin. With a startled gasp, he fell back, leaning against the tree. What was wrong with him? It shouldn't be taking this long for his vision to clear.

_The bracelet. He's using the bracelet on you._

Romeo managed to catch sight of the golden beads clutched in Nathaniel's hand before the golden and the tan of his hand blurred together again. "Stop…that," he said, feeling weaker. It was straining him to talk now.

Nathaniel smiled innocently. "Stop what? Sappin' your life? Well, if ya insist…" The bracelet glowed briefly, and Romeo's vision stilled for a second. He stopped getting weaker…but that didn't help the damage that had already been made.

"You…little…" Romeo mumbled.

The grin seemed darker now. More evil. "What am I, Romeo Conbolt? You think on that, all right? Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my bracelet and my new Sky Princess and be on my merry way. Don'tcha like my plan, Romeo?"

The edges of Romeo's vision was growing darker. He wasn't going to stay conscious for long. With a groan, his legs gave out beneath him and he crumpled to the dirt beside the Vulcan and the lion-dog. "Wendy…" he moaned.

"Say goodbye to her, Romeo," Nathaniel chuckled from somewhere out of his line of vision. "Because you'll probably never see her again."

And then all Romeo saw was darkness.


	10. Chapter Ten: D for Death?

PART TEN

"Where are we going?"

It felt like the millionth time she'd asked that question. She didn't know why she kept expecting an answer, though. Every time he'd say, "Shut it, girlie." And this time was no different.

"Shut it, girlie," Nathaniel snapped, tugging harder on the chains, making her stumble. He had unhooked them from the cave wall only to drag her through the forest. The heavy metal links tripped her often, making her fall and give herself more scratches and bruises. Her anger had faded out, though. She no longer felt like strangling the old man. All she felt like doing was following, because what else could she do? Her magic was unusable right now and she _definitely _couldn't win in a fistfight. She'd just end up causing trouble- for herself and, maybe, for Romeo.

The thought of the dark-haired boy made her heart twist painfully in her chest. The only question she asked more than "Where are we going?" was "What did you do to Romeo?" But, like other question, she never got a real answer. And now she couldn't help but think that anything that could have happened to him was her fault. She knew he'd come for her. No matter how mad he was, he'd always come for her. But she also knew that that wasn't always a good thing- like now, for instance. Because of her, who knew what Nathaniel had done to him?

Her eyes burned, and she quickly squashed the pessimistic thoughts from her brain. Right now she should focus on getting her magic back and getting loose. By this point, if she got her magic back, she would use it _all_. She didn't care if she'd collapse a cave or blow away this whole forest.

Wendy was going to get the heck out of here.

Nathaniel pulled on her chains again to make her move faster. "Hurry up. We have a village to destroy."

Wendy staggered against the pull, catching herself on a tree, and looked up at Nathaniel, horrified. "You're going to destroy the mountain village?" she gasped.

"That's what I said, missy."

"But…But…what about the people there?" Wendy sputtered. "The kids? The women?"

Nathaniel snorted. "Horrible bunch, them people. Throwin' pots and pans at every outsider who steps foot in their little town. Who cares if I wipe 'em out?"

"What would your wife say?" Wendy asked, remembering him mentioning his wife that day Romeo and her got stuck in his house. That seemed like a million years ago from now.

Nathaniel stopped suddenly. "My wife ain't here no more," he said softly. "But maybe not fer long."

Wendy frowned. "What does…What does killing the villagers have to do with…?" Her eyes traveled to the bracelet the old man clutched in his hand. The bracelet of _life_. Her eyes widened. "You…You plan on bringing your wife back from the dead, don't you?"

Nathaniel turned, his eyes angry. "Ain't none of yer business, girlie!" he snarled.

"You just want your wife back," she continued, understanding filling her. "This was never about destroying the village, or controlling life and death. It was just about bringing…"

Nathaniel yanked hard on the chains, pulling her feet out from under her. With a cry, Wendy fell hard to the ground, the breath getting knocked out her. While she lay gasping for air, Nathaniel came to stand over her, his eyes dark. "I said," he said softly, "it ain't none of yer business." Then his eyes cleared and returned to the same irritableness that she had come to see as his normal expression. "Get up! We have to keep movin'!"

Slowly, still breathing funny, Wendy staggered back to her feet, eyeing the man warily. She began to stumble after him again, but now she realized her captor may not be as sane as she had once thought.

* * *

"Natsu! I found him!"

Romeo's eyelids fluttered, but he didn't open his eyes. Happy sat beside him, looking worriedly at the young mage. He was lying unconscious on the ground, looking like he'd just been through a hurricane. He was pale, too pale. They needed someone to help, and fast.

"Natsu!" Happy shouted again.

"Happy!" The pink-haired teen burst from the bushes behind them, breathing hard. His eyes widened when he saw Romeo. "Oh, boy," he breathed. Then he looked around. "Where's Wendy?"

Happy shook his head. "I couldn't find her."

Natsu bit his lip, his eyes troubled. But he just walked over to where Romeo lay and scooped him up in his arms, much in the same way a big brother would carry his injured sibling. "Come on, Happy," Natsu said. "We have to get Romeo back to Luce and the others. Then we'll come back for Wendy."

"Aye, sir," Happy said softly, and they started back for the camp they'd made a few hours earlier. Erza had figured out what Romeo's and Wendy's mission had been (like the snoop she always is but will never admit to being) and decided that it was too dangerous a mission for two kids. Despite the Master's objections that the bracelet was only a myth, that they weren't in any danger, she'd forced her fellow teammates into tracking them down. Now, Natsu was glad she had. He didn't what had happened, but he would make someone pay for hurting Romeo and Wendy.

And they would pay dearly.

Suddenly, Romeo's eyelids twitched again and his eyes opened a crack. "Natsu…nii?"

Mentally Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. Romeo could talk. That was a good sign. "Romeo! How you feeling?"

"Like crap," his little friend mumbled, his voice sounding hoarse. "What…"

"Relax," Natsu told him. His tone carried a tinge of concern, something Romeo didn't hear often. "You need to rest. I'm taking you back to the camp."

"Where…?" Romeo started. Then it was like a light bulb went off in his head. His eyes went wide and he started struggling in Natsu's arms, though weakly. "No! He…he…no!"

"Hey!" Natsu tightened his grip to keep the kid from falling to the ground. "Stop it. You're hurt, Romeo."

"He…he got Wendy!" Romeo cried. He ignored how the world seemed to tilt at his sudden movement. He didn't think about why Natsu was here, he didn't care about how weak he felt. That creep had his Wendy.

"Who has Wendy?" Happy asked. He was already spreading his wings, ready to fly off and find the young Dragon Slayer.

"I gotta go get her!"

"No," Natsu said firmly. "First you have to get to camp and let Lucy take care of you. I'll go find Wendy."

"No!" Romeo shouted, surprising Natsu. Romeo usually didn't say no to Natsu. Having caught his friend by surprise, Romeo kicked his legs with a small burst of strength, hitting his knees on the ground as he broke free of Natsu's grip.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed, reaching to grab the collar of his shirt, but Romeo, despite how drained he felt, had already taken off in the direction he thought he saw Nathaniel go. He disappeared into the trees, Natsu standing, stunned, right where he'd left him.

Finally, the teen sighed in irritation. "God, he can be a brat," he muttered, taking off after him. But inside, he felt a bit a pride in his sort-of-little-brother.

Because he knew if Lucy had been the one missing, he would've run off in much the same way to find her.

* * *

Romeo stumbled more than once, his legs screaming at him to stop, slow down, do _something _other than run and exhaust himself further. But he couldn't stop. Wendy was in some freak's hands right now, and who knew what was happening to her! He'd already wasted too much time, already let down both her and so many other people by letting Nathaniel run off with the bracelet. He wasn't going to let Wendy down any further.

He staggered into a tree, having to rest a second or risk collapsing again. He leaned against the rough bark, panting and sweating. He cursed himself thoroughly for letting the old man get the better of him and take the bracelet. A horrible thought entered his mind:

_What if he'd killed Wendy with it?_

Romeo straightened, shaking his head hard enough to make himself feel dizzy. "No, no, no," he said fiercely to himself. "He needed her, right? She's the Sky Dragon. He needs her."

But either thought- him killing her or him using her for evil deeds- made him feel sick to his stomach. So he started running again, frantically searching for his blue-haired dragon.

He just _had _to find her.

* * *

Lucy looked up from where she tended the campfire, feeling like she was being watched. She stared off into the trees surrounding her before dismissing the feeling as mere paranoia, turning back to the fire and adding another few sticks to it. The daylight was beginning to dim, and she had figured that a campfire would help the others find her when they came back with, hopefully, Romeo and Wendy. Erza, Gray, and Natsu had all set off in separate directions, claiming splitting up would cover more ground and they would be back sooner. Lucy suspected it had more to do with Natsu and Gray not wanting to deal with each other, and then their mutual fear of Erza. They'd left her to guard the camp, which she thought was a subtle sign of them telling her she was the weakest link. But she'd ignored that little jab to her pride and had proceeded to set up a tiny place for bandaging wounds and such. She figured at least one of them would come back injured, and Wendy wouldn't be able to handle it all.

There it was again. That creepy, tingling feeling at the back of her neck, telling her someone was there. She stiffened, then relaxed as she realized who it probably was. "Natsu, stop kidding around and get out here," she said irritably. "It'll be dark soon."

Silence. Then, "L-Lucy-san?"

Lucy blinked, surprised, then turned on her knees to face the girl standing behind her. She smiled wide. "Wendy! We've been so worried about you. Where've you been?"

Wendy's eyes were wide and…scared? She was biting her lip, looking like she was on the verge of tears. She opened her mouth, closed it again, opened it, closed it.

Lucy's smile turned into a frown. "Wendy? What's…?" Then she noticed all the bruises and scratches down the young girl's arms and legs. She saw how messy and tired she looked, noting how frightened she seemed. Lucy tensed, slowly rising to her feet. "Wendy? What's happened?"

Finally, Wendy found her voice. "Run," she whispered.

A shadow leaped from the bushes, throwing Wendy back behind him. She screamed along with Lucy, who reached for her pouch of celestial keys. She grabbed the first one she could, barely seeing which it was, and flung her arm forward. "Open, Gate of the Lion…Leo!" she shouted, and, in a flash of bright golden light, Loke appeared in his black suit and blue-tinted sunglasses.

He flashed Lucy a dazzling smile. "Hello, love!" he said.

"Loke!" Lucy said. "Save Wendy!"

Then he noticed the small girl on her knees in the grass, trembling. An old man stood in front of her, grinning and holding up a small gold bracelet. Lucy gasped from behind the orange-haired spirit. "That's…!"

The bracelet began to glow. Wendy shrieked, "No!" Then light burst from the golden beads, enveloping the spirit and his owner. Lucy let out and ear-shattering scream, and tears spilled down Wendy's cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut and clapped her hands over her ears, trying to rid her mind of that horrible sound. Then the light faded and slowly Wendy opened her eyes. She let out a sob.

Loke was gone, having evaporated back into the spirit world. Lucy lay on her back by the extinguished fire. She wasn't moving. "What did you do to her?" Wendy shouted, horror evident on her small, tear-stained face.

Nathaniel snorted. "Brat," he muttered. "Didn't kill her. Not yet, anyway. I'll be back for her." Then he turned to Wendy. "You only help me, little girl," he hissed. "Got that?"

Mutely, her vision still blurred with frightened tears, she nodded. Nathaniel nodded back, then tugged on her chains. "Get up. Let's go. We have a village to ruin."

* * *

Romeo heard Wendy and someone else screaming and his heart throbbed painfully in his chest. "Wendy!" he shouted, turning toward the cries and taking off towards them, feeling a new burst of strength. In his head he kept repeating, _Not my Wendy. I'll kill you if you touched her. _

He burst into a small clearing. It was a little campsite, two tents set up with a small fire pit set up. Smoke curled from charred sticks in the fire pit, as if a fire had been suddenly put out. He stepped forward to keep running, but tripped over something. He got to his knees, looked back behind him, and felt instantly like throwing up. "Lucy-nee?" he breathed, his voice trembling like a small child's. He turned towards her, her blonde pigtails coming undone, her face pale and her skin cold. Her chest was barely moving, indicating she was still alive. But she was alive just barely. She didn't have very long.

The bushes rustled in front of him. He leapt up, instinctively moving to stand between Lucy and the intruder, but it was only Natsu and Happy. Natsu put his hands on his knees, breathing hard. "Dang, you're fast!" he gasped. "What…" His voice stopped abruptly when he saw Lucy lying on the ground.

In a second, he'd pushed past Romeo and was on his knees beside the blonde mage. For a long moment, everything was silent. Then Natsu said in a soft voice, "The…man who has Wendy? Did he…did he do this?"

Thinking of the bracelet, Romeo said just as softly, "Yeah. That's what he did to me. She's still alive. But…" He didn't have to finish the sentence. _But she doesn't have very long without someone to help her._

Silently, Natsu picked up Lucy and turned in the direction of the village. "I'll take her there," he said, not looking at Romeo. "Happy go with Romeo." He paused, then said, "And Romeo?"

"Yeah, Natsu-nii?"

"When you find that man…if I don't get there first, kill him for me."

Romeo's expression turned serious. "Don't worry about that." Then, with the blue Exceed flying right behind him, Romeo took off back into the forest.

* * *

"Why do you need me?"

Nathaniel didn't answer for a while, just kept walking. Then he said, "Yer the Sky Princess, right? That's yer answer."

Wendy shook her head, wiping away the remnants of her tears. "No. That's an obvious thing. But why do you need my magic?"

Again, he didn't answer. After a few minutes he suddenly stopped, making Wendy stumble for the millionth time. When she straightened herself, Nathaniel was facing her. There was a strange, faraway look in his eyes. "My wife…was very sick," he said softly. "That's why she died. She was only forty-two. But, if I can bring her back, she still might be sick. If it ends up that way…" He looked Wendy straight in the eyes. "I want you to heal her. So she can live."

Wendy was stunned. How could she object to that request? The man just wanted his wife back, wanted back someone he loved. She could definitely understand that. Without really thinking, she said in a quiet voice, "You know, I have people I want to bring back, too."

Nathaniel seemed surprised. "What?"

"Grandeeny," Wendy said. "She was like my mother. Then my entire guild, people who were like my family, vanished right in front of me. You have no idea what I would give to have them back here with me now." Then she reached out and boldly took Nathaniel's hand. He jerked in her grip, but she didn't let go. "But, sir, what I've come to realize about it is that they're gone for a reason. They were there in our lives for a reason, too- for us to love them while they were there, for them to help us get to be who we are. But no one can stay with you forever, right?" She took a deep breath. "So, please. Stop all this…this madness. Wherever she is, I think your wife is much happier there than here on this earth…"

Nathaniel finally freed his hand and did the one thing she didn't expect. He slapped her.

With a cry of surprise and pain, Wendy fell back onto her backside, a hand pressed to her stinging cheek as she looked up the old man in shock. He had lowered his head, hiding his eyes, but his shoulders trembled in a way that led her to believe he was trying not to cry. "You don't know," he said through clenched teeth. "You don't know her. She'd love to be back here with me."

"Sir…"

"You don't know her!" he shouted. "So don't act like ya do! Don't act like you'd know what she'd…"

A small blue blur shot out of the trees and straight into the side of Nathaniel's head, knocking him right off his feet. Wendy saw in slow motion as he fell to the ground, dropping the end of the chain, freeing her. Then in a flash she grabbed the end and pulled it to her before Nathaniel could snatch it back up. Roaring in fury, Nathaniel reached up and pried a small blue cat from his face.

"Don't you dare hurt Wendy!" Happy cried. Then Nathaniel flung him to the ground beside the blue-haired mage.

"Happy!" Wendy shouted, picking him up. "Are you all right?"

Nathaniel got to his feet and lunged for her and she froze, seeing the bracelet clutched in his fist. Then a purple blob came flying from the trees, hitting the ground right in front of the old man. He stopped and looked furiously towards the trees the flame had come from.

Wendy's eyes widened as her savior stepped from the bushes.

"Back away from the girl, old man," snarled Romeo, his fists ignited in purple flames.

Nathaniel stood there for a moment. Then he grinned wickedly. "And what're you gunna do if I don't, little boy?" he sneered. "I have the power of life and death right here!" And he held up the bracelet. "I can kill you where you stand. Or, better yet…" He held the bracelet out towards Wendy, who let out a terrified squeak. "I can kill _her_."

Romeo's eyes darkened. "I'll turn you to ash before that happens!"

While they spoke, Wendy staggered to her feet, holding Happy to her like she'd usually hold Carla. As she watched Romeo, she kept seeing the light covering Lucy and leaving her nearly dead. If that happened to Romeo…

"Romeo, please run," she shouted suddenly.

Romeo glanced towards her. "No," he said simply.

"He'll kill you!" she yelled, panic threatening to overwhelm her.

But Romeo didn't even flinch. Instead, he started running at the old man, punching him right in the stomach with the flames. Before he flew back, Nathaniel swiped his fist across Romeo's head, sending him stumbling sideways as Nathaniel stumbled back. Then the old man threw himself forward, like he was going to head butt him. Romeo leaped up in the air just before Nathaniel hit him, his feet landing on the old man's back. He kicked himself up, knocking the man down onto his stomach. Romeo landed on his feet a little ways behind him, turning instantly, waiting for the old man to rise.

Suddenly, Nathaniel started laughing, confusing Romeo. But then he noticed the faint glow emanating from under the old man. His eyes widened. "Oh, crap."

Faster than he'd ever moved before, Romeo leapt forward, tackling Wendy and Happy back into the bushes as the light exploded, covering the area they'd all just been standing in. When it faded, the grass was brown and dead, the leaves dried up and scattered on the ground, the trees lifeless. Wendy gasped when she looked up. Happy's eyes went wide. Romeo just set his mouth in a grim line, feeling anger boiling inside him. The crazy man had almost killed him, Happy, _and _Wendy! What the crap was wrong with him?

Nathaniel was on his feet now, twirling the bracelet somewhat triumphantly on his index finger. "Still wanna fight me, boy?" he called, grinning. "The smart move would be to just give me back the Sky Princess and run back to your little guild. That is before I come to take over your town, of course."

"Why you…" Romeo's fists were covered in the purple flames again. "Like I'd give Wendy back to you!"

The man sighed as if he were sad. "Ah, well. It's yer funeral."

Romeo growled and ran at him as Wendy yelled, "Romeo, don't!" He raised his fists, ready to pummel him…until he noticed the bracelet was glowing again. He leapt to the side as the light burst out again, covering where he'd just been standing. The grass shriveled up and the flowers wilted. Romeo snarled, "Coward! Fight me like a man!" Then he jumped again as another flash of light flew at him.

Nathaniel laughed. "Keep dancin', boy. Keep dancin'." More light flashed and Romeo jumped a few more times.

Wendy cringed every time the light came. Despite how nimble she knew Romeo to be in avoiding sticky situations, she also knew he couldn't keep avoiding it forever. She could already see him sweating, wearing down. Soon, he'd be to tired to jump on time. He'd be killed. Which might very well kill her.

"Romeo!" Happy yelled. Then he looked up at Wendy. "Do something! Use your roar!"

"I…I…" Frowning deeply, she sighed and closed her eyes, searching desperately for the magic. Would the potion have worn off by now? She didn't know. She found the box inside her quickly. She almost fell over from shock when it opened and strength poured back into her. How long had it been unlocked?

Dropping Happy suddenly, she leaped to her feet and into the clearing, determination set in her. Waving her arms above her head, she shouted, "Hey, Nathaniel! Over here!"

"Wendy!" Happy yelled.

Wendy saw the bracelet begin to glow, Nathaniel turning towards her, Romeo hitting the ground from his last jump- all in slow motion. Nathaniel's eyes widened, realizing who he was aiming the magic at. He tried to change its course, but it'd already been set. Wendy curled her hands into fists as the glow intensified, getting ready to roll over her and take her out of the world. She was ready.

_"Noooo!" _screamed Romeo, who began to take off at her, probably planning to tackle her like he'd done just minutes earlier. The desperate cry hit her right in her heart, making her feel horrible. But she stood still as the arc of light shot out at her like a glowing knife.

A blue shape shot from the bushes and nailed Nathaniel right in the chest. With a shout he was knocked onto his back…and released the bracelet, sending it spiraling into the air.

And, probably labeling her as a crazy person in Romeo's book, she grinned. Just before the light hit her she drew in an incredibly deep breath and screamed, _"Roar of the Sky Dragon!" _The mini tornado exploded from her mouth, lifting her a few inches into the air by the sheer force of the winds. Her hair was flung back from her face and she had to squeeze her eyes shut tight or they would dry out.

But, for a moment, she felt wild. Crazy. Insane. Like, if just for a second, the dragon inside of her had emerged.

It felt _amazing_.

The hurricane met the arc of light hard, as if the light with a solid, brick wall. It sounded like a thunderclap times a million and echoed right in her ear, making her wince in pain. It sent a jolt through her body, jerking her, but she kept the vicious winds blowing against the death magic. She hoped with all her heart as she spit out the wind that Romeo had seen the bracelet and had grabbed it. She hoped he wasn't anywhere near her right now, because, if her assumptions were correct, she wouldn't be able to hold out very long against this magic. She didn't want him here when she finally went down. Because the magic would spew everywhere, including over Happy and her Romeo if they didn't leave soon…

_Her Romeo._

She knew this wasn't the time to think about love and crushes and whatnot, but, considering she could very well die in the next few seconds, she might as well. She remembered clearly in those few seconds when she'd first spoke to Romeo, when he was finally within her reach and not the five-year-old she'd become accustomed to. The day he took her hand for the first time and dragged her through the city to escape the Master's wrath. The day he had her laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, which was a first for the sky Dragon Slayer. She remembered when he came to her with a mission, how excited he'd been. How she'd held his hand when they were stuck in Nathaniel's house. How badly she'd blushed (and how he had blushed) when he landed on top of her after falling from his seat in the carriage. How…she'd been oblivious to him for the past couple of days because of her crush on Aiko.

How hurt he'd seemed because of that but she had barely noticed, barely cared, because Aiko was smiling at her.

How _stupid _she was.

And then the magic exploded and she went sailing through the air. Her eyes cracked just a bit, she caught a glimpse of Romeo's horrified face, his mouth open in a silent scream as he watched her fall, Happy in one arm…and the bracelet in his other hand. A small smile graced her lips. She'd been useful. They got the bracelet. She was happy now.

Then she hit something hard and everything went black.

* * *

"_Wendy!" _shouted Romeo, feeling strangely detached from the scene before him as he watched the magic burst in a ball of white light. He saw Wendy thrown violently back, sailing through the air. He saw a sudden, small smile on her face. Then she hit the trees hard and slid, unmoving, to the ground.

And he snapped.

As the wind and light faded, he saw Nathaniel slowly rising to his feet across the clearing, running his hands desperately across the ground. "Where is it?" he was mumbling. "Where's my bracelet?"

Romeo saw red. This man had made this past week a living nightmare for him. He'd sent them on a mission that led to him feeling like crap. He'd kidnapped Wendy. He'd hurt Wendy, by the looks of the bruises and scratches Romeo had seen. And now he may have killed Wendy.

_He killed his Wendy._

He completely and utterly snapped. Slowly, trembling with rage, he dropped the crying Happy onto the ground, curling his hand into a fist over the gold bracelet. He started walking towards the old man, his free hand igniting in the purple flames. "You killed her," he said in a soft, dangerous voice that cut through the anxious murmurings of the old man.

Nathaniel froze, then looked up at Romeo with wide, scared eyes. He saw the flames and, with growing terror, he noticed the bracelet in Romeo's other hand. Plus, it was clear in the boy's eyes he wasn't big on mercy when it came to the girl. "I…I didn't mean to," he stammered.

"You kidnapped her, you hurt her, _you killed her_." His eyes flashed murderously. "And what did she ever do to you?"

"She…she…"

Romeo's fist hit the man right in the jaw, knocking him right back onto his back in the grass. He quickly propped himself up on his elbows to see Romeo, who towered over him. Then, suddenly, the man swept his feet under Romeo and sent him sprawling. He lunged for the bracelet instantly, grabbing hold of one end and trying to yank it from Romeo's hand.

"Give me my bracelet!" the old man shouted, pulling viciously.

Romeo said nothing, but pulled back harder. And the last thing he expected it to do happened- the cord holding the beads together snapped. Nathaniel and Romeo froze as the beads scattered across the grass. Then they both scrambled for them. But before either of them could grab even one, steel flashed through the air and a sword embedded itself in the tree just inches of Nathaniel's head. The old man froze, but Romeo had caught a glimpse of fiery red hair.

"Erza!" he said.

The female mage stepped into the clearing, another sword already in her hand. She glanced once at Romeo, then at Wendy's crumpled form, then at the old man. "I'll take care of him," the warrior said, pointing the tip of the sword at Nathaniel's cowering form. "You get Wendy."

Romeo stared for a second. Then, set with fierce determination, Romeo nodded jerkily, snatched up as many beads as he could, and scrambled to kneel beside the young Dragon Slayer.

Romeo instantly felt like throwing up. Whereas she looked so peaceful and angelic, a smile still on her lips, blood pooled beneath her head in a thick puddle, one Romeo slid in as he hurriedly got down on his knees beside her. Her eyes were open a crack, and he could see the chocolate brown irises staring off blankly. Her hand was lying open, palm up, as if asking him to hold her hand.

But she wasn't breathing anymore.

Tears glistened in his eyes. God, she was too…too…_perfect _to die. She was too good, too sweet, too amazing. She _couldn't _die. Not here, not this way.

He leaned over her till their foreheads were touching and his tears fell onto her face. He whispered, as if she could still hear him, "C'mon, Wen. Wake up. You can't die now. Fairy Tail needs you, Carla needs you…_I need you, Wendy_. Please wake up." And, just barely, he touched his lips to hers.

Just like he'd always wanted to. He realized that now. He'd always wanted Wendy and her kindness and her…_everything_. He may still be too young to fully comprehend all of what it meant, but he knew with a startling certainty that he loved Wendy Marvell. And when he pulled away, gone or not, he told her.

"I love you."

And suddenly, in his fist, the beads began to glow. Faintly, at first. So faint Romeo didn't notice it. Then it became brighter and brighter. He looked down with teary eyes at his fist, uncurling his fingers so he could look at the glowing beads. For a second he felt afraid, believing they were going to shoot out that arc of killing light. But something about the light felt warmer, better…nicer. It didn't seem capable of dishing out death now.

On a hunch, mostly out of desperation, Romeo pressed the glowing beads just above Wendy's heart, squeezing his eyes shut tight and chanting under his breath, "C'mon, live. C'mon, live, Wendy. Live!"

Suddenly, the brightness faded. Romeo slowly opened his eyes, hoping with all his thirteen-year-old heart that he would look down and be looking right into Wendy's open, lively eyes again.

But she was still lying there, just as cold and lifeless as before.

The grief and sadness threatened to overwhelm him, and, sobbing like a child, he threw his arms around the Dragon Slayer and pulled her body close. "Why Wendy?" he cried. "Why Wendy?"

He was so wrapped in his sadness that at first he didn't notice anything. He felt arms wrap around him and he figured it was Erza trying to comfort him. Then the grip tightened and, after a moment, he realized the hug was coming from in front of him, not from behind.

"Romeo? Why are you crying?" a soft, worried voice asked right by his ear.

He froze, not daring to open his eyes. _Oh, God, _he thought. _I'm hallucinating now. Just great._

"Romeo?" the voice repeated, a little louder.

Hardly breathing, Romeo opened one eye. Then the other. His eyes widened and he swore later on that his heart stopped beating for a second.

Bruised and battered, the red of blood mixing in with the blue of her hair, Wendy Marvell pulled back from his grip to smile at him. "Did we…win?" she asked.

Tears spilled down his cheeks for the third time in a few minutes. But they were happy now. Startling the Dragon Slayer, he pulled her back to him, hugging her fiercely. "Yeah, Wen," he choked out. "We won."

And, pulling her back, Romeo kissed her again.

And this time, she was alive to experience it.


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Ending

**This is the last chapter/epilogue! Thanks to everyone who's read it and reviewed! It means a lot to me! Hope you like the last little bit.**

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PART ELEVEN

The three mages and their unconscious captive came strolling into the village just a little past nine at night, all smiling triumphantly. The villagers stared, surprised at the sight of the villain being dragged by the startlingly beautiful redhead. And, also, at the fact that the two young mages they'd seen a lot of recently came in holding hands and smiling so brightly that half of them thought it was sunny again.

When they got there, Rune Knights had already arrived, probably with the help of Carla (who's magic must've surely been restored by now). They instantly set off with Nathaniel, ready to lock him up. Erza went with them, just in case.

The two young mages kept walking, looking at the many houses and wondering which one would be the town's doctor's house, since they needed to find Natsu and Lucy. Their hands stayed intertwined, their faces flushed though they both looked like they'd been through a heck of a lot. They seemed happy.

Suddenly, Wendy stopped, jerking Romeo to a halt with her. He turned to her, concerned. "What's wrong, Wen?" he asked. "Are you okay?" A sudden fear flared in his eyes, and he wondered whether Wendy was still very hurt.

But Wendy just shook her head, looking pointedly towards one house. Romeo followed her gaze and felt his stomach drop. Aiko sat on a porch swing in the house just a bit away from them. He felt a little sick, thinking Wendy still held feelings for the handsome boy…until he noticed a blonde girl sitting with him. They were both locked in a passionate-looking kiss. Romeo looked back at Wendy and saw her eyes ablaze with fury.

"He really strung me along," she said in almost disbelief.

"I'm sorry," Romeo said.

Then, Wendy pulled her hand from Romeo's. She stomped towards the house, up the steps, until she was standing just in front of Aiko and the blonde. Aiko pulled back from the girl when he noticed the Dragon Slayer. His eyes widened. "Uh, W-Wendy! I…" he stammered.

"Mmm-hmm. Yeah. Sure." Wendy stood there, glaring for a second…and then it all disappeared from her face. She smirked wryly, an expression that was unexpected from her. "You know, you're not even worth getting upset over." She looked to the blonde, who sat there in confusion. "Just so you know, you can do a whole heck of a lot better than this creep. Trust me." And with that, she walked back down the steps, hooked her arm through Romeo's, and kissed him on the cheek. "Come on. Let's go," she said while Aiko stared.

Romeo grinned. "Yeah." And when Wendy wasn't looking, he flipped Aiko off as he strolled away.

Eventually they came across a house that really wouldn't have stood out to them if Natsu hadn't been sitting on the front porch steps. Lucy lay beside him, her arms hugging him like he was a teddy bear, her head on his shoulder. She was snoring softly, fast asleep. Natsu smiled at them as they came closer. "You're okay!" he exclaimed quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping blonde.

"And so are you," Romeo replied, smiling back at him. "I'm guessing this is the town's doctor's house?"

Natsu nodded. "She said Luce will be okay…she gave her some medicine. She woke up for a bit, mumbling about golden bracelets, but…"

Wendy paled considerably, her eyes darting towards Romeo's pockets. He'd tucked the golden beads into his pockets to give to the master once they returned. They'd yet to start glowing, and she still felt apprehensive about him carrying them about in his pocket, for fear they'd start shooting out death magic again. But he insisted and she'd just, according to Romeo, died. She didn't feel like arguing.

"Tell her when she wakes up that there's no more bracelet," Romeo said. "Okay?"

Natsu nodded, but frowned bit. "So there was a bracelet?"

But Romeo just shrugged. Natsu frowned again, but didn't press him. After a moment, Romeo and Wendy sat down on the steps beneath the two older mages, still holding hands. Wendy looked up at him and smiled wide. "Thanks, Romeo," she whispered.

Romeo just shook his head. "No. Thank you, Wendy."

And, before long, they both fell asleep, too, still holding hands.

Gray came walking up then and looked from the kids to Natsu and Lucy. He frowned. "What did I miss?"

Natsu grinned. "Nothing much. You just owe me twenty bucks," he said, gesturing to the younger mages.

Gray's frown deepened. "Let me guess. Igneel always won bets, too, right?"

"Yup."

Gray just sighed.


End file.
